The Quest for the Deathly Hallows
by MissScaryKitty
Summary: All of what Graves was telling her felt like a desperate lie. Iris felt it in her gut, like a sick twisting feeling. Then, her eyes caught sight of the all-to-familiar triangular symbol sticking up from his vest pocket as it flashed silver in the light. Suddenly, Iris stopped breathing and everything became deathly still. This wizard was not Percival Graves. (Graves x OC)
1. Chapter 1

**The Imposter**

The evening shift at MACUSA started out as it would any other, calm and somewhat tedious. Several wizards who'd punched their time cards from the Wand Permit Department had made their way down to the lobby to flirt with the receptionists manning the front desks. Meanwhile, several Aurors hurried across the black marble floor to the basement elevator with stacks of intelligence files piled high in their arms, hoping to make the shift changeover on time.

Tensions had been high around MACUSA lately, but everyone had been relatively normalized to seeing the hand on the Magical Exposure Threat Level clock wavering between yellow and orange. It was simply just another day until, suddenly and without warning, the unthinkable happened. A No Maj was killed by magical means.

It happened at a gala full of New York's richest and most influential No Majs causing a major breech in the Statute of Secrecy. All MACUSA employees had been placed on high alert, their respective departments immediately enacting their emergency protocols. Not long after, all members of the Magical Congress convened for an emergency session where it was revealed an Obscurial was responsible for the attack.

Iris Faeborn, Auror and second-in-command of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had Apparated into MACUSA's lobby from a late dinner at her usual Italian spot around the corner to find it dark and deserted. The hand of the Magical Exposure Threat Level clock was fixed firmly on red, the dials spinning rapidly as if to stress the direness of the emergency. The sight struck Iris with immediate dread.

Spotting the telltale long leather coat of an Auror hurrying across the deserted lobby, she broke out into a run, intercepting the wizard between the stairs and his speedy path to the elevator.

"What's happened?" She gasped, feeling as if the bottom had dropped out of her stomach.

The Auror, whom she recognized as Markus Abernath, quickly explained all he knew regarding the attack- the death of the news mogul's son, the Obscurial, Mr. Scamander and his creatures, all of it. The more she heard, the angrier she became.

"Why wasn't I informed about this immediately?" She demanded hotly, feeling completely blindsided.

"I'm sorry, Miss Faeborn, I have no idea why you weren't contacted," he sputtered, seeming just as surprised as she was. "Mr. Graves should have sent someone for you."

"Yes he should have," she bit out through her tightened jaw. "Where is he now?"

"The Magical Congress adjourned twenty minutes ago," he told her, not believing she was only just hearing this. "Three suspects have been taken into custody- one of them is Tina Goldstein. Mr. Graves is questioning them in the interrogation chambers now."

Iris hardly knew what to say, it was all so unbelievable. Suppressing the automatic urge to yell at Markus, she coolly nodded and thanked him before heading straight for the basement elevator.

"What the hell is happening?" She heard him mutter from behind her.

My sentiments exactly, she thought, slamming the brass cage to the elevator closed and riding down to the interrogation chambers.

She paced impatiently in the small space, her arms crossed over her chest as the car descended. Over the past few months, Iris had noticed a change in Percival's behavior towards her. Lately, he had been sidelining and undermining her at every turn, all the while apologizing and making watery excuses for it. Everyone on the Investigative Team believed he was simply acting with conviction due to the current social/political climate, but Iris believed he had an ulterior motive. Though, she wasn't sure what that could possibly be.

At first she thought she was being paranoid. But then as time went on and she realized it wasn't her imagination, she became greatly concerned. She had finally come to the conclusion that there was something very wrong with Percival Graves.

8-8-8-8-8

Elladonna Parson, or Ella as her family called her, sat with her trainer, Maple, behind the heavily grated security window of the interrogation chambers awaiting further orders from above.

The only thing she and her co-workers knew was that something had gone terribly wrong in the city and all of MACUSA had been put on high alert. That information was far above the pay grade of a low level officer like herself. Still, the uncertainty ate away at her as the hours slowly ticked by.

She couldn't imagine what her parents would think if they knew she was caught up a national crisis on her first day of work. What was worse, Maple Marbellum, her senior officer, seemed positively elated by all the excitement. She acted as if it were all a drama put on for her amusement. And ever since Percival Graves came through ordering an interrogation chamber to be readied, she hadn't stopped gushing on about him. Having to listen to nonstop her was torture.

"I hear he subdued them with just a flick of his wrist. I would have given anything to have seen that!" Maple exclaimed with an excitable giggle, referring to the strains of gossip that had trickled down to them from the Congress Chamber regarding the new suspects. "Merlin, isn't he just perfect?"

"He is handsome," Ella admitted quietly, trying to ride the line between being professional and friendly. She couldn't afford to make an enemy of her superior. Honestly, the mousy witch hoped that the conversation would come to an end.

"And single!" Maple added. "Everyone thought he and his ex-partner, Iris, might get together but she got her nose all in a snit over his promotion and they've been at odds ever since," she tittered meanly. "From what I hear, he pretty much ignores her now!"

Just as Maple finished her sentence, they both noticed a very haughty and proud looking witch turning the corner. She pinned Maple, who had frozen in visible terror, to the spot with her sharp blue gaze.

"Don't you have anything better to do than run your mouth?" Iris scolded tersely, approaching the cage. "Which room is Mr. Graves interrogating the prisoners?"

Maple had several smart remarks floating around in her head but she didn't dare say them aloud. An Auror as high up as Iris Faeborn had the power to turn the elder witch's little domain in the basement upside down.

"Number twelve at the end of the hall to the left," she answered with half the volume and confidence she'd spoken with before.

"The password is, Centaur," Ella piped up, embarrassed by association.

"Thank you," Iris nodded specifically to the younger witch, completely ignoring the other, before heading off.

Ella stared after the frosty woman with a mixture of fear and rapidly growing admiration. "Was that...?"

"Iris Faeborn." Maple grumbled, scrunching up her face in disgust making her look like a bullfrog.

Ella held back a grin, deciding that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's second-in-command was fast becoming her hero.

Winding down the snake-like hall of the interrogation center, Iris's heeled footsteps clicked in a brisk, perfect measure. She never took any interest in workplace gossip. However, hearing that Maple woman yap on about Percival and her relationship struck a nerve. That woman didn't know the half of what she was talking about, she thought ruefully.

It was true she was angry at Percival for taking the promotion, but it wasn't because she was jealous. It was far more complicated than something as petty as that. Besides, their differences never once obstructed their work. There was too much respect between them for that to happen. She couldn't imagine, after all they had been through, why he would suddenly shut her out on a professional level.

8-8-8-8-8-8

Grindelwald left the interrogation room satisfied that Tina and that Scamander fellow proved to be the perfect scapegoats. All he had to do was wait until Credence summoned him and then he would have the Obscurial in hand.

Suddenly, and most inconveniently, he spotted Iris Faeborn sharply turn the corner in front of him. The blonde Auror strode towards him with purpose, looking very angry and determined. Clearly she had been informed of the current situation- he had hoped it would have taken her longer but Iris had proven herself rather hard to shake. He could not risk her running into Scamander and Goldstein who were about to be escorted through the hall behind him so he quickened his pace to intercept her.

"Miss Faeborn," he greeted, not stopping his progress. Iris practically had to spin on her heel to catch him.

"Mr. Graves," she began, stepping in front of him. "Why am I only now finding out about this Obscurial attack? "

"I'm sorry, I had sent an Auror for you but the situation needed to be dealt with immediately." He told her.

"Tina is one of our own. If she's guilty, a security breech like this is unprecedented. Don't you think something of this magnitude merits a second opinion?" This was not a question.

"It was clear what my ruling on the matter had to be in accordance with the law." He said, breezing past her, only hoping she would follow.

"And what, may I ask, was that ruling?" She snapped from behind him. "Or is that also something you deem unnecessary for me to know?"

She stood there, unbending, her voice sounding like the crack of a whip in the narrow hall. Grindelwald turned around and stared at her through the guise of Graves, his brow knit together in concern.

"Miss Faeborn, can we discuss this somewhere else?" He asked, trying to urge her down the hall. He had to clear her out of there before the executioners passed by with Scamander and Goldstein.

"I'm not going anywhere until you explain yourself," informed him. "You've been playing this hardline with me ever since the first Obscurial attack and it's going to end now. We were partners once, Percival," she said, the hurt beginning to show in her voice. "What happened?"

"Please, Iris," said Grindelwald gently, using her first name. He knew he had to play on her affinity for Graves if he was going to convince her. "I know tensions have been high lately but…"

"Iris!" A desperate voice called out sending a sab of fury through Grindelwald.

Both of them turned to see Tina and Newt being dragged down the hall towards the execution chamber.

"Tina, what's happening?" Iris cried, desperately snatching at any chance for an explanation. Then she saw the executioners forcefully pushing them forwards, their wands trained on them. Her heart sunk in her chest.

"Mr. Graves has sentenced us to death!" The brunette cried, unshed tears swimming in her eyes.

Newt then began to yell from over his shoulder, "That Obscurious is not a threat! He knows this. There's an Obscurial out there right now and he wants to use it against us!"

Iris could barely process what she was hearing. Once the two were hauled out of sight, the blonde Auror's gaze fell squarely on Grindelwald.

"Scamander is lying," he told her. "That Obscurious which killed the No Maj was the one we found in his case. They're far too rare for there to be multiple in the city."

"And Tina? You know as well as I the last thing Goldstein would do is aid and abet a terrorist," she argued.

"Iris, I had no choice," he sighed. "Tina knew Mr. Scamander brought that creature here and did nothing to stop him."

Iris's breathing quickened as he talked, her heart pounding in her chest. She could barely hear him over the sudden rushing sound in her ears. All of what he was telling her felt like a desperate lie, an attempt to cajole her into believing him. She felt it in her gut, like a sick twisting feeling.

Just then, her eyes caught sight of the all-to-familiar triangular symbol sticking up from his vest pocket as it flashed silver in the light. Suddenly, Iris stopped breathing and everything became deathly still.

"That symbol…" she muttered, a tremble in her voice.

She remembered the photo in MACUSA's file on Grindelwald of the mark he had carved into the wall at Durmstrang when he was seventeen. The sight of it in that darkly eerie context was unforgettable. Besides herself, no one else on the Investigative Team had known what the symbol meant, certainly not Percival. There was no reason why he should be wearing it now.

Grindelwald's eyes snapped to hers shocked that she recognized the necklace. He'd seen the fear that flickered across her face and immediately knew.

"It's the symbol of the Deathly Hallows," he explained, stalking towards her.

"I know what it is," she said ominously as she slowly backed away from him.

Suddenly it all fit together- his avoidance of her, the eagerness in which he sentenced Scamander and Goldstein to death, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows-

"You are not Percival Graves," she declared, drawing her wand on him. Still, he continued to advance.

"Oh, Miss Faeborn," Grindelwald sighed as his cold eyes met hers. "You're far too tenacious for your own good."

He pulled out a wand from his coat pocket then, a wand that wasn't Percival's, and wordlessly threw a curse at her, making the first move. Iris deflected the white bolt of light, sending one of her own back at him, having the same effect. They both sized each other up before throwing themselves headlong into the fight.

Curses shot back and fourth between the two with shocking speed, lighting up the narrow hallway. There was nothing to take cover behind which forced the two to battle quickly and fiercely for the upper hand.

"Crucio!" Iris snapped, commanding her wand with expertise.

Grindelwald blocked her attempt at torturing him with little difficulty. Still, every exchange was getting harder and harder to repel her. She was a quick learner and a highly skilled duelist. It was easy to see how she held her position as second-in-command. Sadly, he needed to end this soon before anyone saw them.

"Everte Statum!" He cried fiercely, finding an opening in her defense and seizing it.

The spell hit her square in the chest, sending her flying through the air and smacking into the marble wall behind her. Before she could come to her senses, Grindelwald advanced on her, gripping her throat and slamming her back against the wall, her head smacking against the stone once more.

Iris felt the tip of his wand jab hard between her ribs as he choked her. She struggled in a blind panic, wavering in and out of consciousness as she vainly attempted to pry his fingers from her throat. She urged herself to remember her training, to do something other than flail about but all she could feel was panic as her vision filled with black spots.

Grindelwald could feel her slipping away under his grasp. He knew there was no way he could make this look like an accident. He had to end this quickly and dispose of her body. Her death wouldn't cause him any trouble if he could find the Obscurial before anyone noticed her absence.

Holding her tight, he twisted his wand harder into her ribs with conviction, "Avada…"

Before he could finish the curse, Iris jolted back to her senses. Her hands shot to his face, scratching fiercely at whatever she could reach. Grindelwald reeled backwards in pain, throwing her to the ground as he did. His eyes ached, the skin around them searing with pain as the world turned red.

"Accio wand!" Iris choked.

Her wand jumped from the floor and into her outstretched hand. Her heart froze in her chest as she saw Grindelwald raise his wand towards her once more. His face, still disguised as Graves, was set into a furious snarl, blood running down his forehead and into his eyes.

Seeing his outstretched arm, Iris immediately Dissapparated to the very first place that came to mind. As she twisted through the air, she could barely make out the bolt of acid green light that hurled towards her.

A fearful scream escaped her, clipped short as she hit the cold dirt right outside the grounds of Ilvermorny Wizarding School in Salem. She bounced hard across the forest floor like a stone skipping across water, having been flung by the momentum of her Apparation. When she came to a stop, she looked around to gather her bearings. Her gaze fell on the carved stone castle at the top of the hill before her. Never had she Apparated so far before. It was a miracle she didn't get splinched.

That imposter had almost killed her, she thought, hardly believing she'd made it out of the hallway alive. He had Percival, whoever he was. He had all of MACUSA eating out of the palm of his hand. She had to tell the President and warn the other Aurors. She only hoped that the imposter didn't turn out to be whom she feared.

Lit with a determined fire, she raised her wand in front of her to Dissapparate back to New York only to find it snapped in two. It was barely held together by a thin thread-like piece of the Thunderbird feather core.

"This can't be happening..." She breathed, feeling the blood drain from her face. She had no wand and no way back to MACUSA.

Putting the sad remnants of her wand in her pocket, she quickly scurried up the sodden hill to the castle. There had to be another way, she thought.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Grindelwald wiped the persistent trickle of blood from his forehead as stared down at the scorch mark his Killing Curse had left on the ground. Faeborn had escaped. It was only a matter of time till she told President Picquery and the Aurors. He had to act fast.

Holding his hand over the fresh cuts on his face, he performed a Healing Charm that left his skin looking completely flawless. Pulling out his pocket square, he wiped the blood away and began removing any traces of their fight from the hallway. As the last bit of char dissolved from the floor, he suddenly felt a peculiar pulling sensation pulsating throughout his body. Credence was summoning him. It seemed that fortune decided to favor him. Satisfied with his work, Grindelwald Dissapparated to the den of the Second Salemers to obtain the Obscurial. His revolution was about to begin.

AN: Review Favor Follow! Honestly, I had a lot of trouble structuring this story. I would love to hear what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Taking Charge**

All of MACUSA was in an uproar since the Obscurial began rampaging through New York. Representatives, Aurors, foreign diplomats, all the way down to mailroom employees were running around in both silent and vocal panic. The Statute of Secrecy had been breached in a magnitude yet unseen in the whole of several centuries. At that point, it seemed the damage was irreversible.

Having used the fireplace in the Headmaster's office, Iris arrived in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement using the Floo Network at the height of the tumult. Not bothering to dust herself off, she headed out onto the hearth, almost getting knocked down by two officers barreling past in the process.

"Where have you been?" Yelled Manny Aldrich, veteran Auror and office curmudgeon, as he skidded to a stop at her side. He was heading out to the street to manage the damage of the attack.

"Merlin, what happened?" He gasped seeing the newly formed bruises around her neck.

"Long story," she muttered, her eyes desperately searching the room. "Where is the President? I need to speak with her immediately."

"With Mr. Graves and the Investigative Team, chasing down that Obscurial. Where'd you think she'd be?" He said, looking at her as if she'd gone nuts.

"I have to get to her," she told him urgently, the onslaught of new information fueling her desperation.

"You can't," he informed her. "They've trapped the Obscurial in City Hall Station using protective enchantments. No one can Apparate in or out. What do you need to tell her?"

"That the Percival Graves we've been dealing with for the past month is an imposter. He sentenced Goldstien and that Scamander fellow to death to cover his tracks and when I found out, he tried to kill me. I believe he may be Gellert Grindelwald in disguise."

"WHAT?" Manny shouted, somehow able to top the noise of the ongoing panic around them. "Are you insane?"

"Look at the facts Manny," she demanded harshly, beginning to make her way to the front of the room. "The Statute of Secrecy has been breached, the son of one of the city's most influential No-Maj's has been murdered by an Obscurial- the very same Obscurial Graves supposedly contained- and now it's inexplicably tearing our city apart. The exposure of our world, the killing of No-Majs, the use of Dark Magic to obtain supremacy over others," she listed heatedly, "tell me these aren't all the things Gellert Grindelwald wants. He has to be the one pulling strings here."

"Possibly…" he murmured as Iris pulled up a chair next to the illuminated map indicating the areas of magical exposure. "But an imposter? How?"

"He's incredibly skilled. That man is one of the most powerful wizards I've ever met. If I hadn't Dissapparated in the middle of our duel, he would have killed me. It's very possible he could have defeated Mr. Graves." She told him grimly.

"Then how are _we_ supposed to defeat him?" He moaned, pointing out the futility of the situation.

"I don't know," Iris admitted before stepping up onto the chair so she was above the crowd. "But we have to be ready. May I borrow your wand? Mine is broken."

Manny nodded, pulling it from his leather trench coat and handing it to her. Iris held the wand to her throat and cast a spell to magnify her voice.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE!" she boomed. All movement in room suddenly stopped as all eyes turned to their Second-In-Command. Iris had their complete and undivided attention. "MACUSA's security has been breached at its highest level. Earlier tonight a wizard posing as Percival Graves attempted to use deadly force against me after revealing his true nature. It is highly likely that this man is involved in the latest Obscurial attack."

Frightened gasps erupted throughout the room followed by hushed whispers and doubting murmurs. Iris could see a few fingers among to sea of heads pointing to the fresh bruises around her throat that corroborated her claim. Iris did not stop to explain herself, they would all discover the truth soon enough.

"As you know, we cannot reach the President at this time, however we must be organized and ready to act once communications have been re-established. I need all officers who patrol the affected areas to come forwards. You will lead teams of the remaining officers into these neighborhoods where you will defend against the Obscurial and any other potential threats. Our goal is to protect and preserve life, both magical and non-magical, at all costs."

She had expected to hear complaints, but none came. Not even the staunchest of purebloods in the room spoke out against protecting the No-Majs. It seemed, for once, they were all in agreement.

When she was done speaking, all the officers Iris had asked to step forward had already formed a neat line in front of her. From there, teams were quickly formed and the groups Dissapparated to their assigned areas. Once they were all deployed, only Iris and Manny were left.

"What now?" the older Auror asked, staring across the empty office.

Stepping down from her makeshift podium, Iris sucked in a preparatory breath, "We have to reach the President somehow."

"Well unless you're an elf or something, you don't have a chance in hell of getting to her," he grumbled unhelpfully.

Iris was about to deliver a sour retort but something he had said struck her as odd. "Elf? What do you mean?" She demanded.

"House-elves, they say their magic works different than ours." He shrugged, not seeing the big deal. The odd little fellow, Normy, who worked the wand polishing stand informed him of this one evening after he'd made an apparently inappropriate joke involving a house-elf and an erumpent. The joke fell flat anyways because apparently no one but himself knew what an erumpent was.  
"So they can Apparate into places we can't?" She asked, flabbergasted that he hadn't told her this in the first place.

"Who really knows?" He said throwing up his arms, having little confidence in what Normy had told him. In his opinion, the old house-elf was off his rocker.

"Well it's worth a try isn't it?" Iris exclaimed. "We have to find one!"

Pocketing Manny's wand, much to his dismay, the blonde witch took off running towards the elevator.

"Merlin, please don't run," the older Auror panted, hauling after her at a very nonathletic lope.

"Come on, Red," Iris muttered, urgently pressing the call button repeatedly.

Once the elevator arrived, she threw aside the golden door as well as the grated inner doors revealing a very put-out Red.

"I've told you a million times, Faeborn, don't touch the doors!" He growled, smacking his clawed hand across the already folded grate. "I've had it up to here with you DMLE big shots."

"I'm sorry Red, but this is an emergency," she apologized while stepping inside the car and tugging Manny in alongside her. The goblin bellboy didn't seem to care what her excuse was.

"And what is all this nonsense about a creature loose in the city? No one tells us goblins nothing," Red continued to snap bitterly.

"That's what I have to talk you about," she panted, her bruised throat making it hard to exert much energy. "We need to find a house-elf immediately. Is the cafeteria staff still here?"

"No, everyone's been told to go home," he snorted.

Iris shoulders slumped, deflated, as she realized finding a house-elf was going to be more problematic than she thought.

"Could you take us down to the lobby then?"

Red nodded, closing the doors himself this time and pulling the brass leaver. The car was dead silent on their way down. Everyone found a place on the floor to stare at and fixed their gaze on it awkwardly. Red fidgeted a bit, his shoulders hunched and arms crossed, looking unusually uncomfortable. He pursed his lips again and again, seeming as though he wanted to say something but was stubbornly holding it in.

With a defeated sigh, he finally spoke, "There was a sting at The Blind Pig earlier tonight. I saw several people were brought in- it looked like there was a house-elf with one of the wizards. You might want to check the holding cells."

She wasn't sure why the goblin was being so helpful, but Iris wasn't going to ask questions. "Could you take us down there instead?"

Without another word, Red flipped the leaver from 'lobby' to 'holding cells'.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Iris and Manny hastily walked the line of iron-barred cells, searching for the house-elf Red had spoken of.

"Over here!" Manny called.

Iris hurried over to the cell the other Auror was standing in front of. Peering into the darkened room, she saw it was occupied by a slender man and a young, grungy, house-elf who had been relegated to the floor while his master took whole the bench for himself.

"Hey gorgeous, what's your name?" The slender man cooed.

"Auror Iris Faeborn, Second-In-Command of the DMLE," she informed him without much care how he'd take the news. "Is this your house-elf?"

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, Topsy's mine. What of it?"

"I need to ask him some questions regarding another case," she explained, not wanting to give anything away. "Will you grant him permission to talk to me?"

The slender man sucked his teeth in a show of uncertainty. "I don't know… I'm in a pretty serious situation here. If I grant you permission how's about you get me out of here?"

"How about I don't convince the Director to charge you with the maximum sentence for your noncompliance and we call it even?"

"Whoa, I was just jokin' doll face," the man defended, his tone changing rapidly. "Talk to the elf all you want, in fact, do whatever as long as it ain't got anything to do with me." He then looked directly at Topsy as he snapped, "Get it?"

The diminutive creature nodded vehemently, "I'm not gonna say a word against Master!"

Iris opened the cell door just enough for the little elf to squeeze through and then resealed it with the magic enchantments that were placed upon it. The poor thing had old and new scars all over its shoulders and creeping down his back beneath the pillowcase he wore. Iris clenched her jaw at the thought of that skinny little nothing of a wizard beating the poor creature for whatever ridiculous reasons he thought justified.

"You're name's Topsy?" Asked Iris, speaking a bit softer than before. She didn't really have the heart to be stern with him. "Is it true house-elves can Apparate past magical barriers?"

"Yes Miss, it's easy for elves," he affirmed.

Iris felt her heart leap as it swelled up with hope. "Can you take Wizards with you?"

"Of course I can!"

"Could you take Manny and I to City Hall Station?" She asked, her excitement mounting.

"Master said 'do whatever' for the witch," Topsy considered thoughtfully. "So yes!"

He offered them his hands then with a bright smile. Iris took the left without hesitation and Manny gave him a doubtful glance before grabbing hold of the right and suddenly the trio Disapparrated.

"WHAT THE-!" Screamed the slender wizard as he shot up from the cell bench, his eyes bulging with fury. "He could do that this whole time and he didn't bother to get me out of here?!"

A drunk, slack-jawed wizard who had been watching in the adjoining cell to him shrugged, "Guess you didn't ask."

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Their bodies twisted around themselves and one another until they came to a stop in an empty subway tunnel. There were flashes of bright white light down the tracks and Iris immediately knew she had to move.

"What's that?" Manny muttered in a daze, trying to make his head stop spinning from the Apparition. He was really too old for this.

Iris didn't think to answer him as she sprinted down the tracks, her heart pounding in her chest and her throat burning. She had no idea whether or not Manny or Topsy were following her. Her only direction was forwards, her heart set on making it to President Picquery in time.

She heard voices up ahead- the pleading of Tina Goldstein and the sharp demands of the wizard impersonating Graves. Turning the corner, Iris saw them- Aurors, Congressmen, and the President on one side and Tina, Scamander, and Percival on the other. The Obscurial, black and threatening, hovered above them all. Without warning the group of Aurors raised their wands towards the Obscurial and fired on it in a merciless volley of curses until it was finally overcome. The black amorphous mass dissolved from the air, its edges singed and burning as it crumbled into nothing.

"The Obscurial was killed on my orders," President Picquery explained to the shocked trio on the platform. "It was far too dangerous."

Tina stared at the spot where the Obscurial had been, looking devastated, while Grindelwald turned his anger on the President and Congressmen. Unable and unwilling to hold back, Grindelwald suddenly let loose on them: lecturing them on their weakness and their inability to take action against the real enemies of the Wizarding World. He spoke with the passion and controlled rage of an expert orator. It was frightening how admirable the unthinkable sounded coming from his lips.

Once he had finished, President Picquery stepped forwards, calm as ever and spoke. "Relieve Mr. Graves of his wand."

Grindelwald's furious gaze zeroed in on Picquery then as he raised his wand to attack. Iris skidded to a stop beside her fellow Aurors, Manny's wand ready in her hand as he advanced on them. Grindelwald started violently flinging curses at the group, gunning for Picquery. Quicker than ever, Iris and the other Aurors began blocking his sudden barrage of attacks.

There was no room for any type of counter attack. All they could do was defend as he continued to make his way ever closer to his target. Suddenly a creature, much like a giant bat, swooped down and gripped hold of Grindelwald, binding him up in its giant wings. Tina snatched hold of his wand as he fell to his knees and the fight was over.

Mr. Scamander, who had released the Swooping Evil upon Grindelwald, approached him with great caution. Fixing the bound wizard with a curious look, he waved his wand and muttered, "Revelio."

Everyone stared in shock as the face of Mr. Graves melted away revealing the unmistakable features of Gellert Grindelwald.

Iris inhaled deeply, trying to remain calm as her worst suspicions were revealed. The imposter was indeed Grindelwald. She could hardly begin to think what this meant for MACUSA... what it could mean for Percival. Her stomach twisted in knots as she realized the situation was as serious as it could possibly get.

"Take him," she ordered the Investigative Team, stepping up to the foot of the stairs leading to the train platform.

The Group of Aurors jogged past her and took hold of Grindelwald who didn't seem to be putting up any sort of struggle.

"You think you can hold me?" He asked Picquery, challengingly.

"We will certainly try, Mr. Grindelwald," she promised.

He whispered something to Mr. Scamander as he was drug down the stairs to Iris who held out a hand, stopping the team.

"Where is he?" She growled, her tone dangerously low as she stepped in close to him.

Grindelwald merely smirked, his eyes narrowing on her. He wasn't going to tell her anything.

Iris felt a flicker of rage build inside her as she stared into his two-toned eyes. She willed herself to keep her composure, forcing herself to bite her tongue and accept there was nothing she could do about it now. Though everything inside her screamed to find Percival as quickly as possible, she knew the harder she pushed Grindelwald the more uncooperative he'd be. She couldn't risk losing her chance at getting him back. Nodding to the Aurors, Iris stepped back so they could take Grindelwald away.

Heading to Persident Picquery's side she informed her of the status of her men aboveground. "Madam President, I have deployed teams of officers in the affected areas. They're currently standing by, awaiting your orders."

"Very good, Miss Faeborn," she acknowledged seeming relieved to hear it. "As of now, you are the acting Director of Magical Law Enforcement and Head of Magical Security. However, it might be too late for countermeasures now."

"Not necessarily," Mr. Scamander chimed in with a hopeful smile.

Pulling a phial of Swooping Evil venom from his case, he explained to the group how it has strong Obliveative properties. Then he summoned the second half of his plan, which flew out of the case in a giant flash of gold and white.

"I'm sorry I can't take you the whole way home," he told the noble Thunderbird that now sat on the subway platform. He then gave it a hug before slipping the phial into it's clawed foot. "I'll miss you, Frank. Take this, you know what you have to do."

The bird nodded seeming to understand and flew out of the giant hole in the ceiling and into the air high above the city. There was a boom of thunder and then the sky opened up in a downpour of rain. The drops glittered blue with the venom that was going to wash the memories of New York's No-Maj population clean.

Mr. Scamander's plan was brilliant. Even Picquery couldn't suppress a grin. "Miss Faeborn, inform your teams about the Thunderbird so they can repair the damage and give aid to the victims. Make sure they're finished before the storm passes."

Iris curtly nodded, "Yes Madam President."

She then Apparated on the spot, hopeful for the first time that day.

 **AN:** Review, favor, follow! Thank you so much for your feedback and support. It really helps push me forwards. Up next is 'Finding Mr. Graves'!


	3. Chapter 3

**Finding Mr. Graves** (PART 1)

Percival's office was painted completely white and lined with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves stacked high with all sorts of curious objects and instruments- not to mention innumerable tomes on Wizarding Law, all of which Iris was certain he'd read and memorized cover to cover.

Iris sat hunched and miserable in Percival's black leather chair that was far too large for her and anxiously fiddled with her new wand as she waited for Mr. Scamander. She'd requested him to stop by before being escorted to the docks by Goldstien, whom Iris had reinstated as an Auror.

Having been appointed the Director of Magical Law Enforcement in Percival's absence, Iris felt uncomfortable taking over his office. However, the President insisted upon it. Since moving in, Iris had touched nothing- changed nothing- determined he'd be back working before long. She wouldn't allow herself to consider the alternative.

Her officers had searched MACUSA and Percival's home up and down to no avail, which meant Grindelwald could have stashed him anywhere in the city. Iris felt their window of opportunity closing with every passing day and they were nowhere nearer to getting Grindelwald to talk. It seemed the dark wizard was a highly skilled Occlumens rendering any dose of Veritaserum useless. Whatever secrets Grindelwald was keeping were unreachable. Not even their greatest Legillimens could penetrate his mind.

Iris's troubled thoughts were cut short by a light knock on the door. At least this meeting was going to allow her a brief reprieve from her worrying. One good thing about being the Director meant there was no shortage of work to keep her mind occupied.

Approaching the door, she waved her hand over the enchanted mirror hanging on the back of it. Her reflection melted away as it revealed Newt Scamander patiently standing in the hall. He had his case of creatures with him that had been fixed with new locks as per Picquery's request. She opened the door and offered him a polite smile.

"Come in, Mr. Scamander," said Iris, stepping aside to let him through. "Please, have a seat."

He quietly thanked her and picked out one of the two chairs in front of Percival's desk. She could tell he was looking around at the decor, probably finding it quite masculine for someone like herself.

"I've been moved to Mr. Graves's office for the time being," Iris explained casually, trying to keep her solemnness at bay. "How have you been?"

"Well, thank you," said Newt, shifting slightly. His first trip to America had certainly been eventful and, with how things turned out, rather sad.

"I'm sorry about your No-Maj friend, Mr. Kowalski," said Iris, as if reading his mind. "Unfortunately, our laws regarding the Statute of Secrecy are absolute. There was nothing we could have done."

Newt wished to say something on the matter of American Wizarding Law but simply nodded instead. The fault wasn't hers anyway and it seemed to him that her apology was sincere.

"Though you've done us a great service," she continued. "Madam President wishes you stay away from America for a while. Until things settle down at least."

"Yes, she um, told me that," replied Newt. "I'm going back to London, actually."

Iris nodded, the faintest of smiles tugging at her lips. "I hear it's a lovely city. Hopefully you find what you are looking for."

"Yes, thank you," he nodded.

"I know you have a boat to catch, but I had a few questions that might help us in our case." said Iris, eager to move on to more important matters.

Newt nodded, still holding the case protectively in his lap. Iris knew he was probably a bit untrusting of MACUSA after what had happened. She hoped that wouldn't affect his answers.

"I was wondering if you knew what this symbol means?" She dug into her jacket pocket then and held out Grindelwald's Deathly Hallows necklace for him to see. "We found it on Gellert Grindelwald at the time of his arrest. It has an enchantment placed on it that summons the owner to the bearer. We believe he had given it to the boy, Credence, whom he had tracking the Obscurial. Does it mean anything to you?"

Iris knew all too well what that symbol meant and its appearance was distressing to her to say the least. Not many wizards had knowledge of the Deathly Hallows or its connection to _The Three Brothers_. However, it was a legend that Iris grew up on that was practically treated like religion in her house... a religion that ended up destroying her family.

It was curious to see Grindelwald wearing such a symbol. However, his experiments in the Dark Arts certainly proved him to be, if anything, open-minded about certain methods of magic. She couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he also believed in the Hallows Quest. There were some, like her father, who made finding the Hallows their life's mission. In Grindelwald's case, this prospect could be highly dangerous if such objects of power existed.

Newt's brow furrowed in confusion when she'd shown him the necklace. "I'm sorry, I don't know what it means. I've never seen a symbol like that before."

Iris believed him. It was a long shot anyway. Not even President Picquery, one of the most powerful witches in the world, had known what it was before Iris had told her.

"One last thing," she said. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but I saw Grindelwald whisper something to you before he was taken away. What did he say?"

Newt had to consider her for a moment before concluding she seemed like someone who wouldn't abuse the information. "He told me, 'must we die just a little?'."

Iris looked at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. "Cryptic. What do you think he meant by it?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," said Newt. He hadn't been able to make any sense of Grindelwald's ominous words either. He'd turned them over in his head again and again and couldn't come up with anything.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Scamander," said Iris, knowing if she kept him any longer, he would be late. "May I call on you again if I need to? I would like to talk to you more about your knowledge of the Obscurial."

"Of course," answered Newt, his voice somewhat pitchy. His thoughts had immediately turned to the creature he could only assume was Credence that he saw crawling out of the hole in the City Hall subway tunnel.

"Thank you," said Iris before standing up and kindly offering him her hand. To his relief, nothing in her expression indicated she knew about Credence's possible survival. That was one thing he most certainly didn't want MACUSA getting wind of. "Have a safe trip."

Once Newt left, Iris slumped down in Percival's large leather chair. She didn't know what she hoped to hear from him when she showed him the necklace, but his answer was disappointing all the same. And Grindelwald's parting words 'must we die just a little' meant absolutely nothing to her. They were frustratingly laughable. She desperately needed new leads since Grindelwald was keeping silent. Sadly, no one had been able to point her in any sort of direction thus far.

Iris balled up the necklace and opened the top desk drawer to drop it in. What she saw inside surprised her. Sitting on top of several string-tied envelopes was an old photo in a simple metal frame. It was of their graduating class from the MACUSA Magical Law Enforcement Training Academy. Iris immediately spotted herself standing in the front row to the left, 15 years younger and smiling proudly. Percival was a row up from her, his hands clasped in front of him, looking devilishly handsome, even in his threadbare robes. They barely knew each other then. She supposed they considered each other competition more than anything. They were both vying for top positioning in the class. Friendship came later, when they became partners.

All the times she'd been in Percival's office, she had never seen this picture before. Iris wondered why he'd keep it in a desk drawer of all places. Then she realized, looking around, it might be the only picture he had in the entire office. Though it wasn't often, sometimes Percival could be sentimental. She wondered if that wasn't his reason for keeping the photo.

Closing the drawer, Iris's attention was then drawn by the distant screeching of an owl. The cries grew louder and louder until it was right outside the office window.

Getting up from Percival's chair to have a look, she was shocked to see her father's owl perched on the sill.

"Belvedere?"

The giant eagle owl stared tersely at her through the glass as if to say, how dare you make me wait? Unhooking the lock, Iris ratcheted the window open by its crank knob to let the bird in. However, instead of entering, the old bird stepped off the package and waited until she took hold of it before it flew off without a sound.

Gripping the package tightly with both hands, she brought it inside and set it on the desk. She hesitated a moment before taking the plunge and snatching the letter off the top and tearing open the envelope.

 _My Daughter,_

 _I know I promised never to write, but in light of recent events I am compelled to interfere in your life once more. Whatever my past transgressions, however unfair I treated you, I have come to realize one thing- no father should ever have to outlive their own child. This is why I'm sending you the object enclosed in this package._

 _You remember the story, don't you?_

 _My hope is that, when the time comes, you will know what to do. For now, it will keep you safe and it will put me at ease knowing you have it to rely on._

 _Your Father,_

 _Darius_

Iris stared at the letter for a moment blinking away angry, unshed tears, and trying to sort out the many emotions it had begrudgingly stirred in her. There was of course the usual flood of anger she felt towards anything regarding her father, but also the shameful stab of hurt. Nothing ever made her crack quite like Darius could.

Dropping the letter and wiping away a tear, Iris stared down at the package. It was strange, she thought, that he had broken 17 years of silence to send her this- whatever it was. Her fury at his breech of their agreement was definitely undeniable. In fact, her first instinct was to burn the letter and toss the package in the garbage. However, curiosity and a gnawing sense of duty kept her from following through with her plan.

Before she could change her mind, she tackled the package much like she had done the letter. Tugging off the fraying butcher's string and ripping into the brown paper, she revealed a midnight blue box. Removing the lid, she found a large lump of fabric nestled inside a plain tissue paper wrap. It appeared to be a very old, but sturdy, cloak.

Pulling the garment from the box, she stood up from her seat and shook out the wrinkles and folds. Why on earth did her father think this dusty old cloak would keep her safe?

Heading to the mirror hanging on the back of the office door, she slipped the cloak on over her shoulders. As soon as she did, her body instantly disappeared from the neck down, causing her to throw it off with a clipped shriek.

"Merlin…" She gasped, slowly bending down and picking up the garment from the floor. Invisibility Cloaks were incredibly rare. The fact she was holding one in her hands was, in itself, amazing much less the fact that her father had it. The thought suddenly gave her pause. She couldn't imagine where he would have acquired such a priceless, not-to-mention illegal, item. Her first, and not unfounded, thought was that he had stolen it.

"Father, what have you done now?" She muttered, once again feeling the familiar flare of anger rising within her.

She then remembered the letter had said something about her remembering the story. There was only ever one story Darius was concerned about, the only one he'd tell her nearly every night before bed when she was a girl. _The Three Brothers_.

Iris looked at the Cloak in her hands before slowly slipping it on and pulling the hood over her head. She watched in the mirror once more as her entire body disappeared without a trace. The illusion was flawless, no shapely glimmer or cast of a shadow to give her away. It bore all the telltale signs of the Cloak of Invisibility in the legend. Iris's heart beat fast in her chest as she stared, transfixed, at her non-existent reflection, wondering at the possibilities.

She was so captivated by the Cloak she practically jumped out of her skin when there was a sudden knock on the door. Rounding Percival's desk, Iris stuffed the mysterious garment back into the box it came from, miniaturized it and shoved it in her coat pocket.

"Come in!" Iris called, straightening out her clothes and taking a seat in the large leather chair.

Manny Aldrich entered the room, his urgency barely veiled behind his usual cantankerous scowl. Iris held her breath, fearing that all he had for her was bad news.

"Ma'am," he addressed her, having been using the more formal term since her recent appointment to Director. "There's been a development. Grindelwald wishes to cut a deal regarding his extradition to Russia in exchange for information about Mr. Graves."

Iris drew her eyes down to her desk thoughtfully, trying not to become over excited by the news. Since interrogation had done nothing to force Grindelwald to reveal the whereabouts of Percival, this could be their only chance to get him back.

"Thank you, Manny," she nodded.

"Ma'am," Manny added with hesitation as his fingers worried on his gray five 'o'clock shadow. "Grindelwald requested to speak only to you."

Iris's eyes flicked back up to the older Auror in surprise. She wondered if Grindelwald had asked for the Director of Magical Law Enforcement or specifically for her. One of the two possibilities was significantly less threatening than the other.

"Okay. I'll be down in a minute." Said Iris, concealing her trepidation.

"Um, Ma'am," said Manny, looking down at her neck in concern. "You might want to heal those bruises before you go."

"They're nothing," Iris insisted, before gathering her things.

"But..."

"They're not important," she all but snapped, cutting Manny off. Iris immediately regretted this sudden flair of anger. "I'm sorry, Manny. I don't mean to snap. We just don't have the time..."

"... Mr. Graves," Manny finished for her, seeming oddly compassionate.

"Yes," Iris nodded, her eyes downcast. "We have to find him."

"We will, Ma'am," he promised, never having sounded more reassuring in his life.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

The long elevator ride to the interrogation chambers was spent in relative silence. Iris's focused gaze was fixed on the golden bars in front of her, her expression hardened. Floors zipped by in a blur of color as the car descended into the bowels of the basement. Once Red pulled the doors open to let Iris off, Ella immediately met her with a roster filled out and all ready to sign. Iris jotted down her named and Ella promptly gave her the room number and password for where they had Grindelwald waiting for her.

Despite her resolve, Iris felt a chill roll down her back as she headed through the snaking corridor where she and Grindelwald had their duel. The pressure began to build inside her with every step as she came upon the steel door with the number 13 painted on it. She could not afford to be unsuccessful in this negotiation. Percival's life depended on it.

Iris took a deep, calming, breath before saying the password and opening the door to the interrogation chamber. Grindelwald sat before her in a chair behind a rusted table, his hands chained behind his back. The wizard's sinister two-toned gaze met hers as she entered. They reminded her of a snake, his milky blue eye giving him the appearance of a cobra half shed of its' skin.

"It's good to finally see you as you truly are, Gellert Grindelwald," said Iris as she closed the door of the interrogation room behind her. Grindelwald cracked a dark smile, knowing she would deliver the first jab. She had been the only one in MACUSA to see through him, after all. His smile grew even wider as his gaze fell to collar of bruises on her throat that he'd given her.

"Shouldn't you get those looked at, Miss Faeborn?" asked Grindelwald, his eyes lingering on his work.

"I'm not concerned with them," said Iris, taking a seat in the chair across from him. She wouldn't rise to the obvious bait. "I believe we have a few things to discuss regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Graves and the possibility of a hold on your extradition to Russia."

"This is the first time we've talked since my arrest," observed Grindelwald.

"Believe me, if my duties allowed me to have a larger hand in your interrogation, I would have," Iris assured him with blunt honesty.

Grindelwald smiled, those dead eyes stirring to life. "There's the witch I remember, Miss. Faeborn. Bold and honest."

"As it would seem," said Iris, ruefully noting the quickening rhythm of her heart. Even though he was restrained, he was still the man who'd almost killed her. Being in the same room alone with him was unsettling, even for someone as experienced as herself.

"Why did you refuse to speak to anyone but me?" Questioned Iris. "Why open up when you've expertly evaded all of our attempts at extracting information?"

With a rustle of his chains, Grindelwald leaned forwards into the harsh light shining down from overhead. "I was curious about something."

"Mr. Grindelwald, I did not ride an elevator 777 floors to indulge your curiosities. We will discuss one thing and one thing only and that is the location you are holding Percival Graves," Iris coldly informed him, annoyed by his obvious taunting.

"Desperate to find dear Percy, aren't you? You Americans are so transparent," laughed Grindelwald. His two-toned eyes narrowed on her, relishing his next words. "He said your name, you know? Only once- only when the pain was at its worst. That was the day I broke his wand hand for attempting an escape."

Iris had to use every inch of her self-control not to reach across the table and smack him. Still, thoughts of Percival's hand being viciously crushed flashed in her mind's eye leaving her visibly shaken.

"Let me remind you, Mr. Grindelwald, that we're here to discuss a deal," she told him firmly, her composure returning to her with every word. "I'm sure you realize the Russian government will find you guilty of far more serious crimes than MACUSA will and I'm sure they'll be less inclined to treat you humanely. If you would like to avoid extradition, I suggest you cooperate."

"Now who's playing the hardline, Ms. Faeborn?" Came his cheeky reply, echoing the words she'd used towards him before their duel.

"You're the one who called me down here," she reminded him coldly. "You should have known what you were going to get."

"Indeed, I did," nodded Grindelwald, seeming more than pleased with their conversation thus far. "So let's make that deal. I will give you the location of Percival Graves on two conditions; the first being you and Picquery halt my extradition to Russia."

"Done," came her immediate reply. Picquery didn't trust the Russian minister's ability to hold Grindelwald anyway. Giving him this was practically nothing.

"The second being you have to answer my questions," Grindelwald continued.

Iris paused, her stomach suddenly doing a flip. "Why?"

"Like I said before, Miss Faeborn, I'm curious about something."

Finally, the reason for this private meeting became clear to Iris. She had information he wanted. If she played his game, she had a chance at getting Percival back. If she didn't, he may never breech the subject again and Percival would be lost.

"Alright. What are your questions then?" said Iris, feeling as though she was taking a dive into shark-infested waters.

"Tell me," he began, seeming to lean in even closer than before. His chains scraped against the chair back and those eyes of his lit up brighter than ever. "How did you come to know about the Deathly Hallows?"

In light of recent events, mainly the Invisibility Cloak that was stored in her pocket, Iris proceeded with great caution.

"My father used to read _The Three Brothers_ to me when I was little. Practically every witch and wizard knows that story," Iris explained, trying to stray from specifics. Still, judging by Grindelwald's unfaltering interest, she sensed danger on the rise.

"Curious that he told you about the Hallows connection as well," Grindelwald pressed.

"Not really," she shrugged, crossing her arms in front of her. "He's a classicist with an expertise in Ancient Runes. He'd always explain the historical connections behind legends and fairytales. It made for a pretty boring childhood."

Grindelwald sniffed dryly in what Iris supposed was a laugh. "Your father seems like a clever man. Is he American like you?"

"Yes," she said, withholding the fact that he had immigrated from Scotland with her mother before she was born. The turn of this conversation made her highly uncomfortable. She wondered what he could possibly be fishing for. "He's well celebrated in the academic community in Salem."

"I'm not familiar with American scholarship," he admitted.

Grindelwald knew she wasn't going to tell him anything compromising. Still, Iris and her father seemed to know more about the Deathly Hallows than anyone he'd met in years and that was all he really needed to learn. Having exhausted all his leads in Europe, the trail had long since gone cold and his Hallows Quest had ground to a halt. His meeting her seemed fortunate. However, his silver tongue would get him nowhere in this case. She'd seen through his intentions long ago. However, it seemed that her father was the key to more information in this instance. He would have to save that bit of information for a later date.

"I just have one more question," he said, seeming to stare into her very soul. "Do you believe in the Deathly Hallows?"

A dark shadow passed over Iris's face then. She could not help but think of her father and of everything his obsession had done to ruin their family.

"Do I believe the theories that they actually exist? Lost to history?" asked Iris, looking into the incredibly attentive eyes of Grindelwald. "No. It's just a story."

He regarded her for a moment, taking in the sharp edge of bitterness that laced her words. She may not have believed in the Hallows but they certainly played a role in her life nevertheless, of that he had no doubt.

"Sometimes it's safer not to believe in fairytales," said Grindelwald, darkly. "Thank you for being honest with me, Miss Faeborn."

"It's time to hold up your end of the deal now," said Iris, having had enough of these questions. "Where is Mr. Graves?"

"You'll find him at 223 Stockard Way," said Grindelwald, without pause.

"How do I know you're not lying?" Asked Iris, skeptically. She was hardly prepared to believe him.

Grindelwald sat up straight in his chair then, appearing effortlessly powerful, just like he had in the subway station. "I detest the idea of spilling magical blood, however, sometimes an example needs to be made. As the new Director of Magical Law Enforcement, you need to see what happens to those who stand against the inevitability of progress," explained Grindelwald. Iris's blood boiled beneath her skin with every word that left his mouth. "I think Mr. Graves will serve that purpose well. You can either be crushed by my revolution or be a part of it, Miss Faeborn. Hopefully, for the sake of the American Wizarding Community, you and President Picquery will realize that."

"I don't respond well to threats, Mr. Grindelwald," she told him, her voice low and trembling with hate. "Make no mistake. You have already made an enemy of me."

"That is a shame to hear," replied Grindelwald. "You seemed like you'd be a strong leader."

"Probably a bit too strong for your liking," replied Iris, as she stood from her chair.

Grindelwald couldn't help but crack a grin, thinking she was probably right. Even though, it was clear where they stood with one another, he knew he was not yet through with the formidable Miss Faeborn. She still had a part to play in his game.

"If your information is correct," said Iris. "We will begin negotiations with Russia."

Having said that, Iris promptly left the interrogation room. She knew Grindelwald was incredibly satisfied with himself at the moment. His words about making an example of Percival echoed over and over again in her mind as she headed for the elevators.

 **AN:** Okay, I'm a super jerk. I know I promised Graves in this chapter but I decided to split it up into two parts because it was getting too long. Mr. Graves makes an appearance in Part 2, this I promise 100%. I just didn't want to rush his introduction or the setup of the main story. I have a very in-depth character arc planned for him as well as Iris and where he starts out in the story (both physically and emotionally) is incredibly important to get right.

On a side note I may post a deleted scene between Iris and Newt very soon. It was a cute scene full of heart (and beasties) but it just did not fit the tone of the story thus far AND would have made this chapter even longer. So, hopefully you all will look forwards to that. If not, the Percival Graves will show up in the next chapter and we can continue on with the Quest.

Side note: In my story owning Invisibility Cloaks and using Magical Extension charms are illegal in the US (unless given special permission by MACUSA by way of obtaining a permit). Not sure if this is true of the time or the world but, as plot devices, they suit me well. Also the MACUSA Magical Law Enforcement Training Academy is much like the US police academy and Iris and Percival's time there will be expanded upon (clearly the picture in the desk drawer mean something ;)).

Please let me know what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Finding Mr. Graves**

Come the afternoon, there were a good number of people working at the shipyards. However, no one noticed the small group of trench coat-clad men and women who suddenly materialized in the alley between 221 and 223 Stockard Way. The wind was high and the clouds spat rain at the group as they hurried to take cover from the No-Majs behind a pile of empty packing crates. Aurors Markus Abernath, Tina Goldstein, Manny Aldrich, Olivianna Kelley, and Stewart Warren all huddled around their mission leader, Iris Faeborn.

The address Grindelwald had provided belonged to an old brick factory that had gone out of business years ago. The building had been condemned by the city due to a sinking foundation, making it a perfect place for Grindelwald to operate undisturbed. Naturally, he had cast spells on the factory that made anyone who approached forget why they were interested in it. This must have worked particularly well, Iris imagined, if anyone ever saw him coming in or out.

Iris instructed her team to stay close and to be ready for what they might find. Grindelwald hadn't volunteered what would be waiting for them inside, and Iris was sure he would not make it easy for them to reach Percival. The dark wizard had already proven he was out for blood and he would most certainly take whatever little digs at MACUSA he could get- especially if it meant picking off several Aurors in the process.

"Be prepared for anything," Iris warned them before proceeding. After what Grindelwald had told her in the interrogation chamber, she hardly felt prepared herself. So far she was holding it together, but every so often her anxiety stirred in the pit of her stomach making her feel ill.

The group stepped away from the crates and headed to the back of the building where they found a small set of stairs leading to a side door. A few simple spells gained them entrance, to which they all exchanged curious glances with one another. Meeting the darkness they saw beyond the door with suspicion, each team member illuminated their wands before heading in.

The inside of the factory looked like it was on the verge of collapse. The floor was cracked clean in two forming a shallow V which ran diagonally from one corner to the other and all four walls slumped inwards, like a great force had pushed it in from the outside. Three wooden balconies ringed the walls of the factory that led off to different rooms. The main interior was open all the way to the ceiling where rain fell through rotted holes in the roof, gathering in a long pool where the two halves of the broken floor met.

"Grindelwald has enchanted the building, Ma'am," said Tina, having checked the soundness of the structure. "The only thing holding it up is magic."

"Everyone, keep your counter-curses and enchantment-breaking to a minimum," said Iris, as she led them carefully through the sea of rubble and discarded equipment. "And be very specific when you use them."

A chorus of yes Ma'am's sounded from behind her as they crossed to the stairs leading to the upper balconies. Each Auror proceeded with caution, their heads on a constant swivel, looking for traps that might spring on them at any moment.

Floor by floor the building was cleared but to no avail. Their worry slowly melted into confusion as they realized there was no sign of Percival anywhere. Besides the cursory protective spells, the whole factory appeared to be untouched. There weren't any footprints or fingerprints left in the dust anywhere, no further enchantments placed on any of the walls or doors- nothing that would indicate that anyone had stepped foot in the building since it was shut down.

Iris felt her heart drop into her stomach as she realized they had all but ran out of places to look. There had to be something they were missing. Grindelwald wouldn't have lied to her about the address. He simply couldn't have. She stepped up to the edge of the third floor balcony and screwed her eyes shut tightly in frustration at the thought of Grindelwald sending them on a wild goose chase. She needed to calm down and think. Percival was once her closest friend and one of the only people she'd felt truly connected to. If he was somewhere in the building, surely, somehow, she had the power to find him.

Thinking along this line, she was struck by a peculiar idea. It was a long shot, just a gut feeling, but she was compelled to try it. Loosening her tight grip on the balcony railing, she tentatively reached into her white coat for her wand and raised it in front of her. Her heart swelled with her most happy memory as she cast her patronous. A skylark burst fourth and swooped around the top floor then downwards in a large, circling, arc until it reached the bottom of the factory where it dove into a pile of debris in the far corner. The patronus glowed in that spot for a while until it slowly faded away with a final beating of its wings. Iris stared at the pile of junk, concentrating so hard that it looked like she was trying to start a fire with her gaze.

"There's a basement!" yelled Iris, spotting a hidden set of cellar doors under the pile. The entire team, who had joined her at the balcony railing, jumped, startled, by her loud exclamation.

Resisting the urge to break out into a run, Iris hurriedly descended the stairs to the first floor, the rest of the Aurors in tow. She could hardly believe her idea had worked. An odd mix of excitement and dread filled her as she realized their search was about to come to a close.

Reaching the bottom floor, the group crossed over the narrow pool and inched towards the pile of broken machinery covering the cellar doors to the basement. With a quick swish and flick of her wand, Iris cleared the area of rubble. Making a sharp pulling motion with her left hand, the doors snapped open with a puff of dust, revealing a wooden set of stairs descending deep into the darkness below.

"Aright," said Iris, turning to look into the faces of her team members. Each one seemed to be holding fast to their courage. "This is it. Stay close and be vigilant."

The first stair creaked loudly under Iris's foot as she carefully made her way down. The further she went, the more she realized the light from her wand seemed diminished in the dark. From what she could see, the basement was in far worse shape than the factory above.

The ceiling sagged above them, stained and sodden. Large puddles had formed on the uneven floor from muddied water that dribbled from the ceiling down the walls. There was a heavy stench of rot muddled with the stagnant air. As the team came down the stairs, it felt like they were being submerged in it. The basement was like a different world from the one above.

Iris's heartbeat became unnervingly loud in her chest the moment she stepped off the stairs and onto the wet floor. Instinctively, she held up her hand, signaling for the others behind her to stop. There was something terribly wrong with this place. She could feel it in her bones.

"There's dark magic here," muttered Iris, tightening her grip on her wand.

Her eyes searched the shadowed room, straining to see beyond what her wand could not illuminate. It was large and filled to the brim with empty pallets and shelves. The way forwards was unclear.

Once Iris gave the signal for them to proceed, Tina and Manny edged closer to her, in order to defend her left and right flank. Oliviana and Markus followed next while Warren brought up the rear, his wand shaking in his hand as he held it aloft. The group worked to detect any enchantments or curses Grindelwald might have placed, but found none. However, the moment Warren stepped off the stairs to join the group, everyone felt an immediate shift in the room.

"Did you hear that!" cried Warren, stumbling into the group pushing everyone forwards. "Scratching... There under the stairs!"

Everyone turned to where he was pointing but saw nothing. Only a rotted 2x4 lay in the open area behind the staircase.

"I'm not kidding!" He insisted, fighting off embarrassment. "Something was there!"

"It could have been a rat," reasoned Oliviana, hopefully. She was always the optimist.

Iris felt a chill run down her back, a sense of panic taking over her as she whipped around to face the darkness in front of her. She saw nothing, creating a moment of false calm before a hand of rotten gray flesh sprung out from behind the shelf in front of her, feverishly clawing for her face. With a startled cry, she instinctively smacked it away and stumbled back into Tina and Manny. The two of them spun around to see a rotting corpse advancing on them and fired a round of hexes at the creature without hesitation. To their chagrin, their attacks seemed to have no effect. Regaining her footing, Iris cast Everte Statum, flinging the corpse into a stack of pallets behind it.

"What the hell is that thing?" Markus yelled, before another pair of gray hands gripped hold of his arm, startling him.

Iris pointed her wand at Markus's shoulder, knocking the rotted corpse back a good ten feet.

"Inferi," she breathed, unable to believe Grindelwald had mastered such a level of Dark Magic. Inferi had not been seen for hundreds of years- the process was thought to be lost. Their group must have triggered them to wake up once they'd all stepped onto the basement floor.

"How do we kill them?" cried Oliviana, blasting back several more that had appeared among the crates and shelves.

More and more seemed to follow, crawling out from the darkness. Iris was quickly beginning to realize if the team didn't act soon, they would find themselves overtaken by the multiplying hoard.

Having run the gamut of obliterating spells, Iris finally cried out, "Incindio!"

The Inferi before her burst into flame then crumbled into a pile of ash in moments.

"It worked!" cheered Oliviana before being yanked to the ground by a crawling Inferi who had gotten a hold of her ankle. She screamed and kicked feverishly at the snapping mouth trying to bite her leg. Oliviana was able to hold it off long enough so Markus could blast it back then incinerate it. Warren, who had yet to do anything useful, grabbed her with his shaking hands and dragged her to her feet.

"We have to fight them with fire! Everyone form up and cast a Firestorm on my mark!" ordered Iris. The team fell into a semi circle formation to cover the area. "Go!"

The room was suddenly ablaze with six streams of fire coming from each Auror's wand. The hoard of Inferi wordlessly fell to ashes. Some of them tried to scramble away but ended up getting caught in the flames and perishing. Once the area was clear, Iris shouted for them to cease-fire. Only a few pallets and shelves had caught aflame, the rest had only been singed- far too waterlogged to light. The team quickly set about putting out the flames before continuing to further into the basement.

"W-who do you think those people were?" asked Warren, quaking with fear.

"No-Maj's, obviously," Markus grumbled, annoyed by Warren's lack of courage. "Probably vagrants since there's ben nothing in the news about missing people."

Iris nodded in agreement. Continuing to move forwards through the darkened basement, she carefully stepped over the piles of ash that now littered the floor. Inferi were horrible to think about, but even more disturbing was the knowledge that Grindelwald was willing to use them to achieve his ends.

Having crossed the room, Iris and the team were faced with another dead end. All that was in front of them was a brick wall. Bringing up her wand, Iris caught sight of something strange. Approaching the wall, she brought her wand up to get a closer look at one of the bricks. Etched into the corner was the sign of the Deathly Hallows. She ran her fingers over the mark and felt the pulse of magic it emanated.

"He's behind here," said Iris.

As she spoke, the symbol beneath her fingers began to glow a faint red. The images of the wand, the stone, and the cloak illuminated individually, in that order, before fading away. The symbol was clearly activated by speech, which meant it was sealed with a password.

"How do we get to him, can we just blast through it?" asked Manny.

"No, Grindelwald sealed the wall with an Oratoris lock. If we try to force it, the spell might backfire," explained Iris.

"But the password could be anything," said Oliviana, dismayed. Her large brown eyes reflected everyone's inner worry.

Iris, on the other hand, felt a swell of determination at this challenge. She was becoming more and more familiar with Grendelwald and his work. It might be enough to riddle this out, she thought.

He was clever, and prided himself on his knowledge of the Hallows. She doubted he could resist linking the symbol and the password. She knew had to have something to do with the wand, stone, and cloak, in that order.

The three objects in the Three Brothers are symbolic of the lessons they were meant to teach, she thought. Though she doubted Grindelwald and her agreed on the particulars of the lessons, there was one interpretation of Death's gifts themselves that was widely agreed-upon among scholars. She would bet, more than anything, that he also held that interpretation to be true.

Tracing her finger down the center of the mark, she muttered, "Power." Dragging it around the circle she said, "Longing." Lastly, she continued to follow the lines of the triangle uttering the final lesson of the Hallows, "Humility."

Starting at the center of the glowing red symbol, the wall split down the middle, dust irrupting from the newly formed crack. Iris's heart gave a startled leap as she moved away from the wall. She had done it.

"Stand back," she warned as the wall in front of the group began to stretch open, revealing a simple wooden door.

Iris stepped up to it and grasped the handle, her chest tightening as she pulled it open. The team watched her proceed, uncertain if they should follow her. Her figure soon disappeared from sight as she headed deeper into the blackened room.

Iris greeted the darkness with a wordless tap of her wand, illuminating the tip once more. It took but a moment for her to see the man crumpled at her feet. Her heart gave a painful twist as her eyes met those of a bloody and beaten Percival Graves.

"Percival!" Iris choked, stumbling to her knees beside him.

He looked up at her in hazy recognition. One of his eyes was fully swollen shut. He must have fought so hard, Iris thought mournfully.

"I'm going to get you out of here," she promised, swallowing down the tears that welled up in her eyes. She needed to keep her composure if she was going to help him.

Leaning over him, she tapped her wand on his bound wrists and freed them. Both his hands were broken, but his wand hand, which he quickly pulled close to his chest with a painful groan, was by far the worst.

"Iris, you're not safe…" he ground out before he was unwillingly pulled into unconsciousness.

Iris clenched her fists, her nails biting into her palms as she fought the tidal wave of emotion about to crash down on her. He was near death, and yet he was trying to warn her of danger. If she could, she'd blast Grindelwald into oblivion that very moment. With a shuttering breath, she quickly forced herself to her feet.

Pulling out her wand she cast a levitating spell on Percival and carefully guided him out of the doorway and into the main room where the team had been waiting.

There were a few gasps at the sight of him. Oliviana clapped her hands over her mouth in shock. Warren averted his gaze as if he were looking at something indecent. Then there was Tina and Manny who stared at the scene in grim silence. It was as if all hope had been sucked from the room.

"There's no possibility we can Apparate with him. He's far too injured. We'll have to use the Floo System," explained Iris, abnormally calm.

Snapping out of his momentary shock, Abernath reached into his trench coat and pulled out a map of the city that had all the active Floo systems and port keys listed on it. Levitating it in front of him, he studied it as quick as he could.

"Ma'am," said Markus, hesitant to deliver bad news. "The nearest fireplace connected to the System is five blocks away."

Iris felt her stomach drop, her cool faltering as she looked to where he was pointing on the map. "That far?"

Markus hurriedly rechecked the illuminated parchment before nodding in the affirmative, "Yes. I'm sorry."

Iris sucked in a deep breath as she considered her options. They were in a race against time and she could only think of one way to get Percival to the fireplace without being spotted by any No-Majs. The only question was, who she was going to trust to stay behind with her.

"Alright, listen up," said Iris, decisively. "Aldrich and Abernath, go to the hospital and make sure they're ready to receive Mr. Graves the moment he arrives. Warren and Kelley, return to MACUSA and report to the President. She needs to know Grindelwald has been using Inferi. Goldstein, stay behind with me. I'll need your help transporting Mr. Graves."

The team nodded before Disapparating, leaving only Tina and Iris behind with Percival.

"Tina, Mr. Graves won't make it if we waste time taking back roads and alleys. The exposure alone will be a huge shock to his system," she explained, the direness of her tone increasing as she came to her point. "The only way we have a chance of saving him is to go a direct rout through the streets."

Tina nodded in understanding before asking the obvious question, "What about all the No-Majs?"

"Tina, I'm going to be honest with you, I can conceal Mr. Graves from the No-Majs but not by legal means. It's the only solution I have. I can understand if you don't want to be involved, but I have no choice. Percival is... he's..."

"I'll do it," replied Tina, without so much as a second thought.

The brunette witch only needed to see the desperate look in Iris's eyes to make up her mind. She knew Mr. Graves meant a great deal to Iris, and she could only imagine herself in her place. Besides, Mr. Graves had never treated her unfairly. He'd even stood up for her when others had simply dismissed her. She knew he was a good man. If they had a chance to save him, they had to take it.

"Thank you," breathed Iris. Reaching into her coat pocket, she retrieved the Invisibility Cloak. "This was sent to my office earlier today. It should conceal Mr. Graves from the No-Majs."

"Is that an invisibility cloak?" asked Tina, stepping up to take a closer look.

Iris nodded, letting Tina take the garment from her. Unfurling it, Tina tested it on her hand before gently draping it over Percival, making him disappear from sight.

"We better hurry," said Iris, switching to wandless magic to guide him through the cluttered basement to the stairs. "I've never tried to levitate someone so far using wandless magic. If I tire out, you'll need to be ready to help catch him with your wand."

"What if someone sees me do it?" asked Tina, perturbed by the idea of, yet again, breeching the Statute of Secrecy.

"Let's just hope that doesn't happen."

Tina nodded, taking her place at Percival's feet in order to help Iris guide him. This way, she could better prevent people from running into him. It wouldn't do to waste time obliviating Mo-Mags right and left.

The two witches left the building through the front doors, knowing it was the quickest way to the street. They flinched as their eyes met the unforgiving sunlight. Iris tensed her wand hand, forcing herself to concentrate harder on keeping Percival suspended in the air. At least it wasn't raining anymore, she thought. They had that much in their favor.

The two witches briskly headed forwards, trying to look inconspicuous among all the overall-clad dockworkers. However, it was painfully obvious they didn't blend in. With Iris's particularly witchy coat and Tina's overly tense expression, they stuck out like two sore thumbs. The only reason no one bothered to stop them was because they were minding their own business.

They walked four harrowing blocks weaving in and out of people, and in some heart-pounding cases traffic, to optimize expedience while avoiding detection. At one point, Tina had to shoulder check a No-Maj heading right between her and Iris so he wouldn't run into Graves. The man was going to snap at her until Iris whipped around and gave him the haughtiest 'how dare you' stare she could muster. As the man left, she nodded at Tina who offered a reassuring twist of her lips.

Iris's chest tightened anxiously the closer and closer they got to their destination. She feared that maybe they weren't going fast enough, that once they got to the hospital, it would be too late to help Percival. No matter how much she refused to accept the possibility of losing him, she knew it very well could happen.

As they turned the corner of the last block, there was a pained groan from under the Invisibility Cloak. Iris's heart froze in her chest as she saw the top of Percival's head slowly being revealed as he pulled at the fabric covering him.

"Tina-" Iris began, but the brunette was already on it.

Tina hurried up behind Iris, kneeled down, and pulled the Invisibility Cloak back over Percival's head. She whispered something to him then, explaining about the Cloak. He did not move after that. Whether or not he actually heard her or simply drifted back into unconsciousness was unclear. Taking her place back at his feet, Tina nodded to Iris to keep going.

Reaching the address where the fireplace was located, Tina went on ahead of Iris to unlock all the doors that barred their way. The building was a boarding house with about eight different residences. One of them must have belonged to a witch or wizard.

By the time they broke into the proper apartment, Iris seemed to be visibly struggling to keep up her strength and concentration. Still, they had made it, and Tina noticed that it had refortified her somewhat.

"Did you find the Floo powder?" asked Iris as she took the Invisibility Cloak off of Percival and stored it back in her white coat.

Tina nodded holding up a cracked glass sugar jar.

"Excellent," Iris nodded, not feeling the slightest bit odd for having just broken into a stranger's home. "MACUSA will have to compensate these people after all this is over."

They squeezed themselves into the fireplace, which was a very tight fit with Percival having to remain horizontal. Iris placed her hand on Percival's shoulder and Tina did the same to Iris as she grabbed a fistful of Floo powder in her other hand. With a loud pronouncement and a flash of acid green flames, the three disappeared leaving behind a sooty mess on the floor.

Once they reappeared in the fireplace at the hospital they were met by Manny, Markus, and a team of healers who were anxiously awaiting their arrival. Two healers hurried forwards to take Percival from Iris who nearly fell to her knees the moment she was able to cease the spell and drop her concentration.

Tina pressed her lips together tightly in concern. Carrying Percival seemed to have taken more out of her superior than she'd let on. Wandless magic wasn't something she was overly familiar with, but she knew it worked differently from the Western style she was raised with. She wonder just how much Wandless Magic Iris actually knew.

With a steadying breath, Iris pushed herself to stand up straight and join the group as they put Graves on a gurney and rolled him back to the emergency room.

Tina felt a twinge of pity as she noticed the mask of controlled calm slipping back over Iris's face.

 **AN:** REVIEW FAVOR FOLLOW! I'm so sorry this took me so long to update. Life got in the way a bit (as it tends to do), but now I'm back on a roll. Next chapter will be about Percival's fate and a trip into the pensive to see how he and Iris first met.


	5. DELETED SCENE

**AN:** A chapter ago I promised a deleted scene that had some beasties in it (I mean this is a Fantastic Beasts story after all so their exclusion would be sad). Anyways, this scene takes place right before Newt leaves Iris's office.

 **DELETED SCENE: Newt, Iris, and the Occamys**

As Newt made to close the door, he caught a glimpse of Iris slumped down in Percival's oversized leather chair. She looked immensely careworn and miserable. Clearly, all this Grindelwlad business had taken a toll on her as well.

"Um, Miss Faeborn, do you think you could help me with something?" He asked, looking rather silly, mushed between the door and its' frame. "It's a two person job, you see."

Iris regarded his awkwardly charming smile with a raised brow. "It depends on what it is, Mr. Scamander."

"It's just something I want to do for a friend," said Newt, sounding completely innocuous as he reentered the office.

"Alright," Iris agreed, after a moment of consideration. She, of course, realized that she could have just made a huge mistake. But Iris did have an odd sense of faith in him after what she'd seen him do in the subway tunnel.

"Good. And please bring your coat," said Newt, pointing to Iris's white dress coat hanging on the coatrack in the corner.

Iris stood from her chair and fetched her coat, folding over her arm as she watched Newt set the case down in the middle of the office floor and open it up. The inside looked like a deep, dark pit. The only thing that could be seen was the top rung of a ladder that descended into the darkness.

"Directors first," said Newt, motioning to the open case.

Iris stared into the ominous opening skeptically, about to question why she had to go first until she remembered she was wearing a dress. She figured she'd spare him the embarrassment of having to explain that point to her.

Taking care not the slip in her heels, Iris descended the ladder. Newt quickly followed and with a wordless spell, turned on the work light. Reaching the creaky wooden floor, Iris looked around the cramped workspace at all of his tools and herb samples. Almost every other thing she saw was illegal to own in the US. But there really wasn't any point in mentioning it since he was leaving for London in a few hours. He would be their problem then, she thought half jokingly.

"This way," Newt directed, leading her to the door that led into the enclosures.

Iris marveled at the size and grandness of the space he'd created for his creatures, which were even more stunning. Newt's case, with all the controversy surrounding it, really was breathtaking. She was glad to have been given the chance to see it.

Newt lead her through the winding maze of enclosures, briefly explaining a few of the exotic animals to her before stopping in front of a large nest made of thick green reeds. Peering into the basket-like home, Iris came face-to-face with what appeared to be plumed serpents.

"You know, Mr. Scamander, a lot of people are afraid of snakes," she said, a crooked smile tugging at her lips.

"You don't seem to be scared by much," observed Newt, remembering how she boldly stared down Grindelwald in the subway station.

Iris couldn't hide a proud quirk of her lips as she continued to gaze down at the little Occamys. "No, not really. I hate spiders, though."

Newt made a quick mental note not to take her by the Acromantula cave. In fact, he decided it was best not to even mention it.

"What was it you needed help with?" Asked Iris.

"I need to collect those silver eggs sticking up from the leaves there. Occamy's are very territorial though, so I'll need your help distracting them."

"Distracting them?" Repeated Iris. She wasn't quite sure she had heard him right.

"Just kneel in front of the nest and hold out your arms like so," Said Newt, extending his arms in front of him so he looked like he was carrying two great big trays. "They'll curl up in your sleeves then and go to sleep."

"Just my sleeves, right?" She stressed, giving him a stern look of warning.

"Um yes," he answered with a note of uncertainty. "Well, at least that's what they do for me. You're not wearing any perfume are you?"

"No-" said Iris, wondering what that had to do with anything.

"Good," he smiled. "Then you should be fine."

Iris cocked her head to the side as she gave him a poignant stare. None of what he was saying gave her much confidence.

Trying to recall that faith she thought she had in him, Iris kneeled down in front of the nest as he'd instructed. Flipping her palms face up, she slowly reached out till her fingertips were touching the base of the woven reed nest. Her breathing was shallow and barely existent.

The little Occamys sprang upright, attentive and eager as they stared into the openings of her sleeves. Iris could have sworn she saw their eyes grow wide all at the same time before shooting forwards and into the belled sleeves of her coat. She grew deadly still, her heart leaping in her throat, and her spine growing ridged as they wrapped themselves snugly around her arms, trying to get warm. To her surprise and great relief, they didn't bite or fuss. In fact, Iris thought it was a bit cute how they took to her so readily.

Newt gave Iris an approving nod, noticing that she was practically beaming at this point. Stepping up to the empty nest, he immediately began gathering up the silver eggs. Iris watched as he placed them in a suitcase resembling the one they'd climbed into. A few simple deductions told her exactly what he was planning to do.

"Those eggs wouldn't be for Mr. Kowalski, would they?" Asked Iris, a casting him a knowing glace.

"They are," admitted Newt, hoping she wouldn't be upset by the truth. "He wishes to open a bakery but doesn't have the funds. Occamy eggs are made of silver. A case full of these will be more than enough to help him out."

Iris nodded, "I see. As much as I should say no, MACUSA owes him a debt of gratitude."

Newt smiled, realizing she was going to let him go through with his plan, "Thank you, Miss Faeborn."

Once all the eggs were collected, Newt rounded the nest and retrieved a metal pail. Without warning, he dumped its contents into the nest and the baby Occamy's flew out of Iris's sleeves immediately to devour the chunks of raw meat that fell there.

"There's only one thing an Occamy likes more than sleep," said Newt, as he set down the pail and offered Iris a hand. "Food."

Newt and Iris stood beside the nest and watched the feathered serpents feed. Iris stared in fascination while Newt regarded them like a proud father. When the last chunk of meat was devoured, the two made their way back to the ladder leading to Iris's office.

"Well, I really must be going now," said Newt. "I made a promise to your president after all."

Iris laughed, despite herself. Newt really had brightened her spirits, if only for a moment.

"Have a safe trip, Mr. Scamander… and thank you."

"What for?" He smiled, his brow knitting in confusion as he hurried for the door. "Goodbye, Miss Faeborn."

Once he was out of sight, Iris exhaled, shaking her head. He was a strange man, she thought. Nice, but very, very, strange.

 **AN:** I hope you all liked the deleted scene! It didn't quite fit with the mood of the main story and that's the only reason why I didn't include it (that and it seemed as if it would drag out the chapter far too long). Still, I thought it was a nice stand-alone piece.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: New Assignment**

As the hours passed, the frenzied evening at the hospital melted into a slow, quiet morning. The healers had done all they could for Mr. Graves, and once he was stable enough, they finally left him to rest.

Iris was the only member of the Investigative Team to stay at the hospital all night. She was surprised that no one called her back to headquarters to report. Maybe they were being sensitive towards her because Percival was her ex-partner. Either way, she was grateful.

When the healers finally allowed her to enter Mr. Graves's room, Iris took up the chair next to his bed and sat there watching over him, quiet and intent, like a dragon guarding an egg. She'd all but forgotten her pervious desires to sleep.

The afternoon came quickly, bringing more foot traffic and, of course, visitors. Soon, reporters from the New York Ghost would start to weasel their way into the halls, sneak past the nurses, and try to snap a photo or get a quote from a loose-lipped Auror. The day would only get more exhausting and, no doubt, more frustrating.

Percival's first, unexpected, visitors were Tina and Queenie Goldstein. The two sisters walked through the open door of his hospital room, the younger one, Queenie, carrying a modest but pretty bouquet of pink flowers.

Percival was still asleep, tucked in a small, cleanly, bed with white sheets. The gaslights were dimmed and the curtains were drawn so he could rest soundly. Small white bandages dotted his face and his left eye only showed a light smattering of bruises from where it had been swollen shut- it seemed to be healing up nicely. His hands, however, were covered in angry red scars, his fingers set in a myriad of wooden splints. The wounds looked as fresh as they had when the team first found him.

Iris looked unusually careworn, her worried eyes fixed on the floor in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Faeborn," greeted Tina, gently. "We've come to visit Mr. Graves."

Iris blinked away her troubled expression and pushed herself out of her chair, finding some difficulty after sitting for so many hours. "Of course, let me give you the room. I was about to leave."

Queenie and Tina could tell leaving hadn't even crossed the platinum-haired witch's mind but neither said anything.

Having gathered her coat, Iris glanced over at the sleeping Percival and hesitated a moment.

"Oh honey, he'll be alright. We'll only be a few minutes anyway," Queenie told her, having picked up on Iris's worried thoughts about leaving him.

"Please, take your time," insisted Iris, her cheeks flushing red despite herself. Queenie's capabilities always put her on edge, not to mention she always forgot to steel her thoughts around her.

The two sisters hung back a moment to watch Iris leave.

"She blames herself, poor dear." Queenie whispered to Tina as they watched Iris aimlessly turn the corner of the stark hallway. Queenie frowned, more-like pouted, at the platinum-haired witch's defeated manner. "She's treating herself so unfairly."

"Mr. Graves and Miss Faeborn used to work cases together," Tina explained, taking the flowers from Queenie and placing them on the nightstand by Percival's bed. "They were close."

"Were?" pressed Queenie, looking over at Percival who, in her opinion, still looked pretty banged up.

Tina shrugged. "He got promoted to Director of Magical Law Enforcement. After that their relationship became… strained."

Queenie's brow furrowed, thoughtfully, "She seems pretty attached to him."

"Yes. I think she is," nodded Tina.

The two joined up at the foot of the bed and watched Mr. Graves silently.

"His hands..." murmured Queenie, wringing her own milky white ones as she gazed down at the fresh red scars crisscrossing Percival's flesh, "Do you think they'll fully heal?"

Tina bit her lip at the disturbing thought. "I'm not sure," she replied quietly.

"But isn't he a master of Wandless Magic?" Asked Queenie.

"Yes, he…" Don't say was, she told herself, the word already on the tip of her tongue. "He is."

The lie was less painful to say than the truth. She wondered if Iris was denying it herself. The Second-In-Command's troubled look as they'd first walked the room in said it all. Mr. Graves was never going to be the same again.

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Iris rounded the corner of the well-scrubbed hallway, dragging her feet, exhausted. Every now and then her toe would catch on the white tile floor, causing her to stumble. The pattern reminded her of honeycomb.

She wondered if she shouldn't return to MACUSA, or better yet, go home. Picquery had not called for her and Percival was kept under a heavy sleeping draught while he healed. She knew he would not be woken until the healers determined he was well out of danger. She supposed the best thing to do would be to return to headquarters and see if she was needed.

She slowly trudged down the front steps of the magically concealed hospital and headed up the street, her heeled footfalls heavy on the sidewalk. Rain began to come down softly and Iris pulled her coat tighter around her, hugging herself as she quickened her pace.

She couldn't stop thinking about what the healers told her regarding Percival's hands. They said, calmly and without doubt, that it was likely that they may never heal. Hearing the news, she felt like her chest was collapsing in on itself, like she couldn't breathe. The head healer hadn't noticed her shock and continued on talking as if all of what he had been saying was perfectly easy to swallow. How could he know what Perceval meant to her?

Once they left her alone with Percival, Iris felt numb. She knew the incredible difficulties of harnessing the ability to perform Wandless Magic. But, unlike her, Percival was a true master of it. Wandless Magic was his livelihood, his life. It seemed that his future grew murkier with every passing hour and all she could do was watch.

The further Iris walked, the more she felt the urge to run- to run until her lungs ached and her muscles were all but played out. But she didn't. She bit her tongue and forced her ebbing tears down, keeping an even pace as she walked. Just continue forwards, she thought, looking through the people passing by. In the end, what good would it do to make a scene?

8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8-8

Against Iris's better judgment, she had returned to MACUSA to report. The moment she walked in the doors she was instantly flagged down by Manny who told her that the president wanted to see her immediately.

"I haven't even been here a minute and there's already a five alarm fire?" She grumbled.

Manny merely shrugged, seeming to roll with her bad mood quite easily.

"How is Mr. Graves?" He asked.

"He's alive- he's healing," she told him, heading over to the elevator with long, purposeful strides. Despite her annoyance, she was somewhat grateful to be given a task. "Other than that, I don't know. They have him under a sleeping draught, so I haven't been able to talk to him."

"Is that for his sake, or ours?" asked Manny, referring to MACUSA's over-barring need to control every situation.

The platinum-haired witch pursed her lips as she boarded the gilded elevator car, "I honestly don't know."

"Well, you're probably about to find out," muttered Manny before stepping away and leaving her in the company of Red who, somehow, didn't even have to ask what floor she was going to.

Reaching the President's office, she made quick work of the passwords and entered. Seeing Iris standing in her doorway, Picquery calmly set her work aside and invited her in.

"Hello, Miss Faeborn," she greeted, rounding her desk. "How is Mr. Graves?"

Iris considered what she should say before speaking. "He's stable. Though, he may have suffered some long-term injuries. It's not yet clear."

"I'm sorry to hear that," murmured Picquery. "Once he is well enough, we will need to begin reviewing his memories right away. I'm giving that assignment to you."

Iris suddenly felt her stomach knot up. "Madam President, I'm not sure if I'm the one for this job."

"I'm certain you're the best candidate for it," said Picquery, unwavering. "Memories can be tampered with and sometimes muddled; especially if the victim has been tortured into revealing secret information. Out of anyone in the department, you've known Mr. Graves the longest. I believe I can trust you to recognize what memories are real and what may be a fabrication."

"I see," said Iris, irked by the idea that Percival would try to hide anything. She had thought the President knew he was not that kind of man. Apparently she was wrong about that.

Picquery went on to say, "I want to keep this investigation close to the vest, no outsiders, no reporters. We must know what Graves may have told Grindelwald. The situation is very delicate."

Iris practically did a double take. "Mr. Graves is being investigated?"

"We can't leave anything to chance," she explained, showing some regret. "I trust that you will be objective in this matter."

"Yes ma'am, of course," nodded Iris, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"I'll need your report as soon as possible," said Picquery before returning to her desk.

"Yes, Madam President."

With that, Iris left the office with a new feeling of dread weighing on her. Percival went from victim to suspect in under five minutes. Perhaps Manny was right in his statement about the sleeping draught. MACUSA was on full defense mode after Grindelwald's attack, and Picquery was ready to squash any hint of a threat.

 **AN: Hello everyone! Sorry for my long absence. I'm still here though and determined to finish this story. Hope you liked the latest chapter. there will be more soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

Iris tapped her wand on a panel in the wall behind Percival's desk, revealing a hidden cabinet she'd charmed about a week earlier. Inside she had stored phials containing memories. Some of them were hers, but most were from other people who held vital bits of information regarding cases. Reaching inside, she pulled out one that had been sitting near the back labeled 'Officer Training Finals- 1911'. It was rare she ever delved into her own memories, but lately she found herself looking back to the past, searching for guidance for the days to come.

Her new position as the DMLE had become highly conflicting, and it was looking as though Piquery was going to make the appointment permanent. Ever since the news surfaced that Percival was found, many questions and rumors had begun circling about his possible involvement in Grindelwald's plans. Everyone on the outside of the situation had an opinion, which they strongly voiced through the news and in Congress. Gindelwald certainly had made an example of him… one that grew more and more dangerous with every passing day.

Soon Percival would wake up in a world where he was a suspect and thought of as much worse. Iris also knew that the moment he woke, she would have to review his memories and judge him based on what she saw. It was an impossible position to be in, especially if she actually found something incriminating.

Iris took out the pensieve from the bottom shelf and placed it on her desk. Taking off the stopper from the phial, she emptied it into the shallow dish and watched the glowing silvery threads spread and swirl in the viscous water before leaning down and falling into the memory that would take her back 15 years.

The dueling hall at the MACUSA Officer Training Academy formed around her out of billowing clouds of silver mist. All the trainees had been gathered to begin their first round of final assessments to determine class ranking. MACUSA's grading was based combination of three scores: dueling skills, a written examination, and a grueling flying course. Officer training at MACUSA was fast drawing to a close and the dueling examinations had already begun.

"Up next is Samael Yannis and Iris Faeborn," the referee called out, looking up from his clipboard to spot the two in the large crowd of wizards. There was movement from both the left and right sides of the large arena as they respectively made their way through the crowd. Yannis was getting encouraging pats on the back and cheers from the overwhelmingly male crowd while Iris, on the other hand, was avoided like the plague. Yannis had a lot of old schoolmates and fans whereas, being a female, Iris was more of an oddity to be gawked at rather than admired.

"Look, look! The Fairy Princess is going up next," sniggered Rowley as he nudged his friends and pointed out Iris who was ascending the stairs. "Is she wearing heels?"

"Someone should have told Her Highness this isn't a ball," laughed the young man nearest Rowley.

Iris kept her head held high and pretended ignore them. Even though she wished to shoot Rowley and his friends a scathing glare, this was not nearly the time for it. Besides, it wasn't anything she hadn't heard before and she wasn't going to let them distract her. This was her chance to earn top marks and show the MACUSA academy instructors exactly what she could do. If she could earn the highest rank in the class, they could not ignore her application for Auror status. It wasn't any secret that, at the time, MACUSA's witch to wizard ratio had been sorely lacking in the DMLE. And Iris was determined to be the exception to the trend.

The wizards carried on with their jokes until a confident voice cut through the group's cruel laughing.

"I'll bet you ten Galleons Faeborn wins."

Rowley turned to see Percival Graves staring back at him with his usual businesslike air. Even in his worn-in robes, Graves cut an impressive figure. Rowley wanted so badly to comment that Percival didn't have two sickles to rub together, but thought better of it. He didn't want to be hexed into next Tuesday, after all.

"Against Yannis?" Asked Rowley, looking up at the burley wizard on the other side of the dueling platform. If the wizard's meat-and-potatoes build was any indication of skill, Iris had more than her work cut out for her. "Fine by me. It's your funeral, buddy."

"More like her funeral," replied one of Rowley's cronies before breaking out into hyena-like laughter.

"Anyone else want in?" Inquired Graves, coolly.

A few heads nodded and a couple hands went up, all of them betting against Iris and potentially digging Percival deeper and deeper into debt. Outwardly, he appeared unflappable, though, on the inside, he was beginning to sweat. So much for standing up for the little guy (or in this case girl), he thought.

"Wands at the ready!" Called the referee.

Percival watched intently as the two opponents saluted one another and took their dueling stances. Iris held her wand out, her other hand hovering near her face as a guard- a sign to Percival that maybe she knew a bit of wandless magic. On the other side of the platform, Yannis rooted himself to the ground in a firm, intimidating stance, looking much like a Wamping Willow about to pummel Iris into the ground. Percival silently grit his teeth.

"BEGIN!" Cried the referee, loud enough to startle half the room.

Yannis attacked first, sending a Stinging Jinx right at Iris's face. With a step to the side and a slight tip of her shoulder, the jinx sailed right past her. Iris's counterattack was swift and merciless as she sent a rapid stream of icicles shooting at him from the tip of her wand. Surprised by her quickness, Yannis threw up his shield charm a bit too late, unable to stop several shards of ice from stabbing into his foot.

With a pained and angry howl, Yannis threw down his shield charm and bombarded Iris with several nasty, explosive curses. Each one was increasingly stronger than the next as he pressed her. Despite his strength, Iris held her ground, defusing each of his curses with a counter curse of her own. She could hear Rowley and his friends yell from below, cheering Yannis on as the wizard continued his rage fueled attack.

Finally having had enough of the lug's tantrum, Iris reached out with her left hand and made a firm grabbing then pulling motion. Then, as if a rug had been ripped out from under him, Yannis became airborne before being slammed down onto the mat. An audible gasp filled the room.

Coughing and gasping for air, Yannis sat up in a daze and pointed his wand at her in a desperate attempt to save the match. He shot two more ill aimed curses at Iris who deflected them effortlessly before disarming him. Realizing he was utterly defeated, Yannis slumped back down onto the mat. The sight of the platinum haired witch standing over him holding both wands in her hand brought the trainees to their feet. The duel had a clear winner.

Percival grinned triumphantly, joining the crowd in giving her a hand. He thought she would win, but he had no idea by how wide a margin. She'd never shown so much proficiency in training- clearly, that was merely her strategy. It was clear to him now that she was definitely stiff competition. Percival, however, was more intrigued than intimidated by this notion.

Percival turned to Rowley and his group of friends then, barely hiding his smugness.

"I believe you owe me some money, gentlemen," he told them.

Each wizard begrudgingly dug into their pockets and coughed up ten galleons a piece for him.

Meanwhile, Iris made her way off the platform and stopped in front of Rowley and his friends on her way to the judges.

"Not bad for a fairy princess in heels," she told them, her gaze sharp. She then cast Percival a very disapproving glance. He could feel himself begin to cringe beneath it.

"Enjoy your money, Mr. Graves," she told him before passing by him.

Hurrying to catch up, he said, "Forgive me Miss. Faeborn, I didn't mean to single you out."

He was smooth, but Iris wasn't buying it. She kept her eyes forwards, her jaw tightened in indignation. All she wanted to do was receive her scores without any further embarrassment.

"It's a little late for that isn't it?" she muttered hotly, before quickly pushing forwards and loosing him in the crowd.

Percival slowed his pace and let her go. He really didn't mean to insult her. He was just trying to teach Rowley and his gang a lesson. It was then that he decided he was going to find a way to apologize to her.

Iris on the other hand was determined to steer clear of Graves for the rest of her time at the academy. Though never having officially met, she knew who the devilishly dashing Percival Graves was. Practically everyone did. He graduated from Ilvermorny top of his class, was the prefect of Wampus Cat House, mastered wandless magic in his seventh year, and won first place for his team in the Cross-Country Flying League. In short, Percival Graves was a wizard destined for great things.

She on other hand was only known for being the History of Magic professor's daughter. A nobody with a whole lot to prove. Still, she wasn't going to let old schoolyard politics deter her from getting what she wanted. Iris was there to do one thing and one thing only: score top of her class and become the first female Auror assigned to the Investigative Team straight out of the academy. Not even Mr. Perfect Percival Graves was going to stand in her way.

The dueling hall filled with silver smoke, obscuring the crowed, Percival, and Iris.

AN: Favor Follow Review! I'm still alive and writing! Thank you for hanging in there with me 3


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

The dueling hall filled with silver smoke, obscuring the crowd, Percival, and Iris. Then the smoke quickly dissipated into the MACUSA Archives Library, where Iris was studiously pouring over an old case file. The case had set the current precedent for House Elf rights under ownership of a master. It was sure to be on the written exam, which was the following evening.

"Have you looked at Docket 555 yet?" Came a gratingly familiar voice from behind her.

Iris snapped her head around, locking gazes with none other than Percival Graves. He stood across the isle from her, his hands in his threadbare pockets.

"No. Why?" She snapped. Percival could have sworn he'd seen licks of fire flair up from behind her silvery eyes. Clearly, she was still quite angry with him. This did not seem to deter Graves, however.

"I checked it out yesterday and it's next on the study list. I thought maybe we could trade after you were done," he proposed, motioning to the case file in her hand.

As hard as she looked to find fault with his suggestion, Iris came up empty.

"Sure. Why not?" She shrugged, disinterested, before snapping the case file closed and shoving it in her satchel.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to embarrass you," he said, before she could walk away.

Iris paused before turning her currier bag's lock closed. She didn't know why but his apology irked her even more than if he had just said nothing. He probably didn't even know why she was angry with him, she thought.

"I'll put the case file on hold for you when I'm done with it. I'd appreciate if you could do the same," she said shortly before turning and heading down the hall.

The next morning, Iris returned to the library to find Percival had dropped off the docket just as she had instructed him to. Thankfully, she hadn't bumped into him on the way there. She'd been purposefully avoiding him so she wouldn't have to suffer through another awkward conversation. She did not need outside stressors in her life at the moment. The exam was the next morning.

The sliver mist swirled over the scene once more revealing her old apartment. Iris walked in the door, clutching her test to her stomach and heaving a huge sigh. To her delight her test score reflected her hard work and far surpassed her own expectations. Percival excelled on the test as well. There was only a 2% difference in their scores, hers being the higher of the two. That meant it all came down to the flying course if she was going to earn top positioning in the class.

Iris decided to celebrate her victory with a bottle of wine and a little berry tart she'd bough from the bakery across the street. She knew the rest of her classmates were probably out at some café or other getting drunk and wreaking havoc. It seemed foolish to her to celebrate so early. A lot could happen between now and their last assessment. She had a momentary thought of Percival and what he might be doing. He didn't strike her as the partying type. He seemed far too serious for that nonsense. Then again, before she could criticize him for that, she had to look at herself and remember she was the one staying in and drinking alone.

She'd briefly entertained the idea of sending her father an owl about her success but then reminded herself it was merely the wine talking. She'd only just gotten out from under his thumb. Contacting him would only open up a whole can of worms.

There was no one at home to share the good news with and she had no time during training to make any friends in New York. Before she knew it, Iris was half a bottle of wine down, realizing she was currently more lonely than happy.

Pushing herself out of her overstuffed chair, Iris went to her cramped desk and began writing a note.

 _Mr. Graves,_

 _Thank you for reserving the case file for me and congratulations on your high score. Would you like to celebrate over a drink?_

 _Regards,_

 _Miss Faeborn_

She stared at the slightly sloppy handwriting for a moment before grabbing up the note and spitefully crumpling it up.

"Idiot," Iris grumbled. She couldn't be that desperate for company, she thought to herself. Again, she blamed the wine and headed off to bed.

Once she threw herself onto the mattress, the room went hazy and morphed into a lush, damp forest. Her classmates stood in a small clearing, nervously checking their flying gear and stretching.

The last examination was a grueling flying course held in the Catskill Mountains of New York. Iris already knew that Graves was going to be her greatest competition. Not only was flying a skill that Graves was not only highly proficient in, but famous for. He had been the champion of the Cross Country Flying League in his year at Ilvermorny and had broken several school records. Though her father wouldn't let her join the League at school, she had learned to fly from her mother at a young age and was confident enough in her own skills to stand up against the rest of the class, but Graves was a different matter. He was the only one she was worried about.

"Cadets, take your positions at the starting line!" Called the head instructor.

Everyone quickly filed in, the tension rising tenfold. The air was alive with an energetic, almost desperate, hum of energy.

"Mount your brooms!"

Brooms raced to the hands of their owners. Iris, cast a side-long glance at Percival who caught her eye. He seemed incredibly focused. Iris hoped he was at least a little nervous. Her heart was positively racing.

Between herself and Percival, she noticed Rowley staring daggers at her. She immediately fought off the concern brewing in the pit of her stomach and turned her gaze to the forest in front of them. She needed to concentrate.

"The final score for this test will be a combination of both time and obstacles completed," explained the instructor. "You will not score well if all you do is race to the end. If you are injured or can no longer complete the course, break the wishbone we provided for you and someone will come to your aid. And remember, no wands, no charms, no use of magic of any kind or you'll be immediately disqualified!"

"Riders take your marks," everyone leaned low over their brooms. "Get set," Iris took in a deep breath. "Go!" Sparks shot off from the instructor's wand and the trainees jetted off into the woods.

The first obstacle came into view, a barely visible force field stretched across two trees. Seeing an opening at the bottom, Iris flew beneath it, barely dodging a fallen log on the other side. A handful of others followed her, some failing, and others, not as fortunate to be nearby, had to skip it.

That's one down, she thought pressing forwards. There was really no easy way of keeping track of the other racers. It seemed the best strategy at the moment was to focus on her own performance.

Up ahead, she spotted two golden hoops which she rolled through and then a row of silver poles which she zigzagged between.

It seemed with every obstacle the herd was thinning out and she could see fewer and fewer riders around her. She hoped this meant she was becoming a front runner. Everything was panning out great until, out of nowhere, she was literally knocked off her broom.

Iris didn't see the other rider before it was too late. Before she could react, she felt a sharp elbow in her ribs and a forceful shoulder check that sent her off her broom and crashing to the forest floor. Coughing violently, Iris tried desperately to catch her breath. Her chest clenched in panic, realizing that she'd just been attacked. She immediately thought to reach for her wishbone and summon help, but that would only disqualify her. She had to get out of there immediately.

"Ain't wearin' a dress today," Rowley snorted, flying into her view, his wand raised. "Too bad, would have made a good show."

"They'll know you cheated," Iris yelled up at him, scooting backwards, trying to feel for her broom under the leaves.

"They'll probably thank me," Rowley snorted. "No one wants a dumb broad barking orders at them anyway. Women aren't cut out to be Aurors. Consider this a favor to MACUSA and to you."

Anger welled up inside Iris with every word he spoke. It came to a head just as she felt the handle of her broom beneath her fingertips. Seizing the opportunity, she immediately snatched it up in her hands and swung it with more power than she thought she had and smacked Rowley upside the head with the bristled end. The blow knocked him backwards and onto the ground.

Rowley spun around, clutching his red, cut-up cheek.

"You're a dead woman!" He howled before aiming his wand at her.

All at once, Iris's heart jumped in her throat and there was a sharp whooshing sound from beside them as a rider barreled low through the trees. Neither could turn their heads fast enough to see Percival Graves shoot by, petrifying Rowley where he was kneeling.

"Get back on your broom, Faeborn!" He yelled as he shot out of sight.

Kicking off from the ground, Iris sped after him. She didn't waste time trying to question his generosity and immediately threw herself back in the race. No doubt Rowley's stunt had lost her time and positioning.

Iris came upon three hoops which she deftly rolled through and continued onwards, pushing her speed to the limit. It was a reckless move, but she was desperate to catch up to Graves.

She could see several riders in front of her from between the trees. Zipping through a few more obstacles, she pushed herself until the figures in her peripheries were behind her.

The finish line came into view and so did Graves. He was the only rider in front of her. This was it, the race came down to the two of them. It was as if it were destiny. Iris pushed herself to the limit, until she and Percival were neck and neck. She focused in on that finish line, willed herself to go faster.

Once they crossed the line, they were nearly blinded by the white light from the flares shooting up from both sides of the boundary.

They weren't met with applause, just the whooshing sounds of the rest of their classmates flying by them as they finished.

Iris was in a daze. Her side burned from where Rowley slammed into her and she had no idea who won.

The group of instructors didn't walk over to congratulate either her or Graves but huddled together and began furiously whispering amongst themselves.

Iris looked over at Percival and it wasn't until she saw the look on his face that she realized something was terribly wrong. Then she remembered that not only did Rowley use magic during the test, which was absolutely forbidden, but so did Percival.

Iris was hit with a sharp stab of realization and immediately turned to him. "Mr. Graves, I-"

"First of all I would like to thank the participants who gave their all today," boomed the voice of the head instructor, Gerard Eddington, who was using a voice amplifying charm. Both Percival's and Iris's heads snapped in the direction of Eddington. "We pride ourselves on the steadfastness and resilience of our trainees. However, it seems there is evidence of foul play in today's exam. We will not be announcing a winner or posting scores until further notice."

The air filled with mutters and whispers then all eyes fell on Percival and Iris who could only pretend not to notice.

"Mr. Graves, Miss Faeborn," said Edgington who approached them. He resembled a walrus with his thick middle, handlebar mustache, and waddling gate. "I will need to see you both in my office the moment we get back to MACUSA."

Gray mist swooped in obscuring the forest and quickly dissipated, revealing the ornate hallways of MACUSA. Percival was already standing outside Edgington's office when Iris turned the corner. He seemed as calm as he could be- his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stared at his feet. His gaze shifted when he heard the clicking of Iris's heels on the black marble floor.

"I ran it over and over again in my head," she told him, seeming as prim and confident as ever. "You were only helping me. They can't punish you for that."

Percival raised a dark eyebrow at her certainty. "You think so?"

"It's my word against Rowley's. Besides, why wouldn't they believe me? I did the math, we're tied for top ranking in the class. So what do I gain from helping you?" She reasoned.

"Well, when you put it that way…" he smirked.

"Come on, you see my point," sighed Iris, crossing her arms in front of her. There was a brief silence before she added, "Thank you, by the way, for helping me."

"Of course," he nodded, his gaze meeting hers. "Does this mean you forgive me?"

Iris let out a laugh, hardly believing that he was still on about something so inconsequential as her forgiveness.

"Does that honestly still matter to you?" She asked, cocking her head in confusion.

Percival's expression didn't waver, "Yes, it does."

The young witch shook her head, stepping to the other side of the hall and leaning her back against the wall adjacent from her supposed rival.

"You really embarrassed me, you know?" Iris said finally. "I'm pretty sure you were only trying to help but people already believe I can't do this job. You swooping in like that… just made me look weak."

"Anyone who saw you during final assessments wouldn't think you are weak," assured Percival.

"You'd be surprised," she murmured, turning her gaze down the hall where an all-male group of Aurors passed by, talking about the banalities of the day. Percival watched too, seeing the proof in her assertions. Not one woman could be found among them.

He supposed he never had to think of such disadvantages. The odds of becoming an Auror were already stacked against the academy students- he didn't really have time to consider what it meant to add prejudices on top of all that. And with that thought, suddenly, he understood her anger and constant concern.

"Why did you make that bet?" asked Iris, cutting through the silence. "You don't even know me."

"I thought it was obvious," he told her, a curious smile tugging at his lips.

The office door between them opened revealing Edgington, who requested to talk to Iris first.

"Miss Faeborn, please sit down," he said, offering her a chair in front of his desk. Once she got comfortable, he proceeded to ask for a detailed account of what happened in the mountains. To the best of her abilities, Iris gave an accurate account of Rowley's attack and how Percival helped her escape him. When she was finished, he asked her a few questions regarding Graves and then regarding Rowley. She chose her words very carefully, knowing whatever she said had a huge baring on Graves's future. Finally, his questioning came to a close.

"We are incredibly impressed with your performance in the program. It has been quite some time since we've seen a trainee with such an aptitude for the job. I was advised to wait in telling you this, but I don't see the harm in letting you know that we are offering you a position as an Auror on the Investigative Team."

Iris was speechless. He had switched gears so quickly, she hardly knew how to feel. Considering the reason for this meeting, the moment seemed bittersweet. Still she could not keep herself from smiling.

"Thank you, sir. I'm truly honored," she told him, reaching out and enthusiastically shaking his offered hand.

"Well, it is a pleasure to have you on board," he replied. She could tell he was just about to wrap things up and her mind quickly shifted back to the current predicament.

"Can I say something?" She asked quickly, watching him round his desk.

"Of course," he smiled politely.

"Mr. Graves performed just as highly as I did. He even went beyond his role as a trainee and defended one of his peers from an aggressor. I truly think he deserves to graduate," she said, not realizing she had her hands clenched.

Edgington's expression suddenly became unreadable as he looked over at her.

"I understand how you must feel," he sighed. "Mr. Graves is an exceptional trainee, but what happened today was unacceptable. I will treat him fairly but I will also act within the parameters of MACUSA's policies. Cheating, whether it be for a good reason or not, is still cheating and Aurors have a standard to uphold."

"That seems pretty unfair, Sir," she said, holding fast to her conviction.

"I'm sorry, Miss Faeborn, but as you already know, there is a difference between fairness and justice." He then walked over to the door and held it open for her.

Iris met Percival's dark eyes, feeling the worry radiating from them, before the world went black.

Suddenly, Iris rose up from the pensieve with a gasp. Staring down at the silver bowl, she pushed her hair back with her hands. Smoothing over her face she felt the wetness of tears and wondered at what point had she started crying.

Her extracted memory of that week ended there, however, she could still vividly recall her first day as an Auror even without the help of a pensieve. She'd been shown to her desk by a superior and was given a stack of paperwork to go through. Busy work as a light introduction to the office, she assumed. Regardless, she set about completing her task… so much so, she didn't even notice the person sitting down in the desk that butted up against the front her own.

"Morning," she heard an unexpectedly familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Percival sitting across from her, a smirk tugging at his lips. "It seems to me like we're partners."

Iris couldn't help but crack a wide grin. She was actually very glad to see him.

Not only had Percival been waived of his cheating allegations, he was also put on the Investigative Team with her.

Iris wiped her tears away and sat back in her chair, her eyes drawn to the ceiling. Seeing Percival whole again was just as hard as it was necessary. She needed to make sure she'd have the chance to see him that way again. Although Picquery's orders to investigate him seemed to put her in the position of persecutor, she realized that it was also the best way to defend him. It seemed that perhaps she might be able to remain his advocate after all. If she was diligent enough, she knew she could save him.

AN: Sorry for the long hiatus. I've been incredibly busy with that dimension we call the real world. Still chapters will slowly be rolling through. I've not abandoned this story.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

Iris could hear low, frightened whispers from down the hall as she approached Grindelwald's cell. She could not make out the conversation, but the tone struck a nervous chord in her. Making her way through the maze of brick columns, she strained to hear what was being said. She could only make out two muffled voices; the frightened one from before and another calm and charming.

Arriving at the jail cells, Iris saw Warren practically kneeling before Grindelwald's iron barred door. It looked like the only thing holding him up was his white-knuckle grip on the bars. She could hear Grindelwald talking to him from the other side, his voice somewhat muffled.

"Can you imagine what one could do with an entire army of them?"

Warren sputtered, "No... it sounds-"

"Warren!" Iris barked.

At the sound of her voice, he violently pushed himself away from the door as if it were suddenly scalding hot. He looked at her in shock, his face twisted in both terror and embarrassment.

"Stop talking to that man now," Ordered Iris. She stormed towards him, her ivory heels cracking on the ground. Warren jumped up immediately, his white pallor overtaken by a mortified flush of red.

"Ma'am, I was just..."

"I suggest you return to your desk, Warren," Iris all but commanded.

Warren nodded, his eyes downcast before scrambling out of sight.

Once he was gone, Iris approached Grindelwald's cell. Her gaze narrowed on the silver-tongued demon before her. He lay reclined on the bare cot against the back wall, looking just as pleased with himself as ever.

"Your man, Warren, is quite the skittish fellow for an Auror."

"He's new," she stated bluntly. "But he will learn."

Grindelwald's eyes came to life then, a quirk of a smile tugging at his lips as he realized she was already comfortable enough to cut the formalities with him.

"Ah, well you're doing a great job teaching him. A firm hand- that's how they taught us at Durmstrang," said Grindelwald, smiling coldly. The life from his eyes had dissipated, returning to their eerie stoniness.

"If you're the result of strict teaching, I'll be sure to modify my methods." Muttered Iris. Grindelwald couldn't help but smile at her witty response. "I thought you'd be interested in knowing that Picquery and I have just begun negotiations with Russia to halt your prison transfer."

"So, Graves is still alive then?" He asked, seeming somewhat surprised by the notion.

"Yes," Iris affirmed.

"I'm impressed to see that you got through my basement unscathed. What did you think about my Inferi?" He asked, truly interested to know her thoughts. He'd been experimenting with them for some time now but he had yet to test them out on a group of trained Aurors.

"I think you should and answer the questions my men posed to you," she told him. Iris would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how much the Inferi disturbed her team as well as herself.

"And what did you think of my handiwork with Graves?" Grindelwald asked, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.

Iris leveled her gaze at him. Grindelwald could see a spark light behind her eyes. "I think he gave you a hard time."

"He was more powerful than I expected him to be..." Grindelwald admitted before his lips curled into a wicked grin; his eyes coming to life once again. "But not anymore."

Iris sprang forwards then, grasping hold of the bars of his cell door and giving them a hard shake.

"What did you do to his hands?" Iris demanded, her composure broken. "What was the spell you cast?"

Grindelwald sat up then and clasped his hands together. He had finally found her wound and was going to proceed digging his thumb into it.

"It's dark magic far beyond your capabilities. Even if I told you, the effects are irreversible," he informed her, hardly masking the enjoyment her pain.

"Every curse has a counter, Grindelwald; you better believe I will I find the counter to every one of yours."

The white-haired wizard merely sniffed, "That's a tall order, Miss Faeborn."

"I'm not adverse to a challenge," she told him, having reigned in some of her anger. "One of our public defenders will be down shortly to go over the proceedings of your trial. I have no need to question you further, so the next time I'll see you will be in court. Have a good day."

"One word of advice before you go," said Grindelwald, stopping her from leaving. Iris's grey eyes tentatively met his once more, wishing to be free of him. "Love, despite all its flowery pretenses, is your enemy, Miss Faeborn. You should learn to abandon it before it destroys you. Take it from someone who's known it," he replied. There was a touch of solemnity in his voice that, if she weren't so shaken, would have given Iris pause.

"Good day, Mr. Grindelwald." She said before turning away from the cell door and leaving.

Grindelwald closed his eyes and listened to her even gait as she walked down the hall. A smile formed on his lips. There was something about their conversations that he enjoyed. It had been along time since he had found someone who could be on equal footing with him. Well... almost.

Twenty four hours had passed with no news on Percival. Iris had hoped for at least an update, yet there was nothing. When evening at MACUSA came, Iris decided it was finally time to go home. She'd run out of clothes to change into in her office and had been working nonstop on finding Grindelwald's US imbedded supporters since her talk with him. It seemed the more she dogged, the larger the problem revealed itself to be. Grindelwald's following in America was much larger than what was previously assumed. Raids would have to be conducted on known meeting places in the city, and all MACUSA employees would have to be background checked. At this point, Iris was so tired she could barely think straight.

Stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby, Iris was stopped by Manny who bounded up the stairs from the first level of the basement to meet her. Clutched in his fist was a crunched-up mouse origami memo. He seemed pretty anxious to talk to her. She'd noticed the little bit of exercise had all but worn the veteran out.

"Iris... Ma'am, I just received this from the ladies down in communications. They said it was urgent."

Iris took the note from him and unfolded it. Turning it right side up she began to read. "It's from the hospital. They say Mr. Graves has just woken up," she said, before shoving the slip of paper into her coat pocket. "I'm going there now. Please inform the President."

"You don't want me to maybe wait on that?" Asked Manny, talking low so he could be discrete.

Iris shoved her hands in her pockets, her brow furrowing in contemplation. Manny could tell she was fighting a war within her.

"No," she said, finally. "We can't keep this from Picquery."

Iris knew Manny had suggested waiting to be considerate to her, but there was no possible way to withhold such important information.

"Alright," Manny nodded, pulling his coat around him and summoning his hat from the cloak room. The black bowler flew from across the lobby and into his hand. "I'm going on lunch right now, should take an hour, no, make it an hour-and-a-half. I'll be sure to tell her after I get back."

"Thank you, Manny," she nodded, an appreciative grin tugging at her lips. Despite his gruff nature, he was a true friend.

When she arrived at the hospital, visiting hours were long since over. It took some convincing, but she managed to talk the attending nurse into letting her see him. It certainly helped hat she was the acting head of the DMLE.

"Alright, fine," the nurse conceded. "But only for a little while. He needs his rest."

Coming up on his room, Iris grew stiffer and stiffer, her nerves slowing her pace. She couldn't help but fear how he'd react to her. They were not on good terms before Grindelwald had taken over his identity. Once she reached the door, she held her breath before finally forcing herself to open it.

She saw Percival sitting up in bed, a book resting open in his lap. A small lamp on the bedside table was the only light in the room. His dark eyes met hers and as her name formed on his lips Iris rushed to his bedside and threw her arms around him.

Though he was unable to fully hug her back, Percival immediately relaxed into her embrace. He rested his broken hands limply on her back as he buried his head into her neck. She was the first friendly face he'd seen since he'd woken. He needed her there with him, to ground him after all that had happened. It seemed a year of contention between them had melted away in an instant.

"Im sorry, I didn't mean to attack, I am just glad to see you," Iris told him, pulling away and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Did he hurt you?" Percival asked.

There was an urgency behind his dark, shadow ringed, eyes that told Iris there was reason for him to think Grindelwald had.

Percival remembered hearing her screams in the darkness. But she looked like she didn't know what he was talking about. Maybe it was a hallucination, another one of Grindelwald's tricks.

"No, I'm fine," she answered. "He did break my wand, though."

Iris held out her new wand for him to see. It was crafted from light Birchwood with silver inlays in the handle.

"Thunderbird feather core?" He guessed.

"Of course, Wampus Cat," she replied, feigning prideful glance down her nose at him. It was an inside joke they shared due to their Ilvermorny houses rivalry. "How are you feeling?"

"Rough." He answered honestly. "Reading has become more difficult," he said, referring to how hard it was for him to turn pages.

Iris knew he was trying to joke but knowing the severity of his injuries, she could only force a grin. Gingerly picking up the book, she flipped it over in her hand to look at the cover.

"Call of the Wild. I've never read it."

Percival arched a thick brow. "It was required reading in school."

Iris offered an unapologetic shrug. "I must have been absent that day."

Percival shook his head. "Some professor's daughter you are."

Iris merely smiled before looking at the back of the book jacket. It was a story about survival. Iris's expression brew gloomy, her gaze flickering to his.

"I've been asked to collect your memories from your time in captivity." She told him. There was no good time to say it.

"Who will be reviewing them?" asked Percival.

Iris had thought he'd linger more on the fact that they were to be reviewed at all. To her, the request felt like an insult. She supposed Percival had come to know what to expect from someone as careful as Picquery.

"I will," answered Iris, somewhat embarrassed.

Percival paused for a moment, his expression unreadable, before stiffly nodding, "Okay."

Iris knew he wouldn't want her to be the one to do it. In fact, she was dreading it herself. But there was no choice in the matter. She had to do her job and, more importantly, she had to clear Percival from any alleged wrongdoing.

Pulling Percival's wand from her pocket, she gently handed it over to him. It felt like she was offering a piece of himself back to him. Sadly, Iris would have to take it away once the memory was collected. Until he was fully cleared, he wasn't allowed to have access to a wand.

"Do you have an ampule?" he asked.

Iris nodded, fishing in her other pocket for the small glass phial she'd brought with her. Percival closed his eyes and proceeded to extract the memory. A thread of milky white light was pulled from his temple and gracefully spooled around the tip of his wand until the very last bit dangled in the air. Iris held out the ampule for him. He closed his hand over hers to hold it steady and carefully eased the thread of light inside until it detached from his wand.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Iris-" he said, his hand lingering on hers.

He wanted to warn her about the things she might see, the things she might hear, but he couldn't. She would see for herself and be the judge of his actions.

Looking down at his scarred hand in hers, he felt a stab of pain. Pulling away he finally muttered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't say that," she told him, holding the phial so tightly, she thought she'd crush it. I'm the one who should be sorry, she thought bitterly. "I have to go, but I'll be back tomorrow with a change of clothes for you. Can I get you anything else?"

Percival thought about asking her to stay, but he knew he couldn't.

"No," he said quietly. "Thank you."

Iris's footfalls sounded hard on the sidewalk as she briskly made her way back to MACUSA from the hospital. Rain began to come down softly and Iris pulled her coat tighter around her, quickening her pace. As she did, she felt the urge to keep moving forwards, to go faster. And so she did. Iris ran until her lungs ached and her muscles were all but played out and even then, she kept on going. The soreness in her throat and the straining of the bruises on her neck seemed like nothing at all.

She knew she would have to look at the memory Percival had given her, but she was so frightened to do it. She'd have to see everything exactly as it happened- as if she were there watching Percival be tortured. She didn't think she could get through it.

AN: Hello everyone, please review, favor, or follow! I'm back... that's all ;)


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